Man charged with murder of wife claimed she was taken by ICE before he fled to Peru—video appears to show him dragging her body

A man has fled to Peru as he has been charged with the murder of his wife in the United States after her body was found in the Los Angeles National Forest. He had initially claimed she was taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement before released video footage showed the man carrying what appeared to be her body in a bag. 

36-year-old Jossimar Cabrera Cornejo, of Los Angeles, has been accused of murdering his wife, Sheylla Cabrera, 33, before fleeing with his kids to Peru. Cornejo changed his story two times about what happened to his wife, initially claiming that she was taken by ICE, that she went off with another man, and then finally that she had an accident, per Law and Crime.  

Police found a video of Cornejo dragging a "large object in a large piece of material" at the apartment complex where they lived with their three sons. Cabrera's body was later found wrapped in a similar material in the Los Angeles National Forest, according to police.

Montrose Mountain Search and Rescue reported “an object similar to the material that was seen being taken away by the person of interest over the side of an embankment” in the forest on Saturday, per NBC News. That same day, the three kids were found in Peru and were taken into protective custody.

Neighbors had also said that the wife in the relationship previously confided to them that Cornejo was abusive in the relationship.

“The allegations against this man are horrific, and we will do everything possible to bring him back under our jurisdiction to be held accountable,” District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. “Domestic violence creates chaos in our communities and shatters families. My office is committed to bringing stability back into the lives of those who have been victimized.”

An extradition warrant has been placed on Cornejo, and if he is convicted, he can face 26 years in prison.