BALCH SPRINGS, Texas — Police in North Texas are searching for a husband who they say murdered his wife and then fled, likely to Mexico.
Hilda Gurrola, 34, was stabbed to death at her home in Balch Springs on Tuesday. The attack at a home on Erich Drive was witnessed by members of her own family. Now police are searching for Luis Pardo, 38, for his wife's murder.
"He was very upset because she did decide to leave him and he kept begging her 'just give me one more chance, give me one more chance,'" Hilda Gurrola's sister Gricelda Gurrola told WFAA. "And she would clearly tell him no."
She said Hilda Gurrola told her that Pardo had suddenly become controlling, obsessive and abusive. So, a week ago, she left with their three young children to live with her extended family in Fredericksburg. Then, at his insistence, she returned to the home in Balch Springs this past Tuesday to retrieve her belongings. Other members of her family, including an older sister, made the trip with her.
After the pickup truck has been loaded, Gricelda Gurrola says Pardo told Hilda to come back into the house to get more of her shoes.
"So she was making her way inside. And as she made her way inside he grabbed her and pinned her between the washer and the dryer in their kitchen where he knew she couldn't escape from. And he started stabbing her to death," she said. "My sister Maricela did try her best to get him off of her but it was already too late."
Police say Luis Pardo then stole that other sister's pickup truck and fled before police could arrive. The vehicle was found Friday in El Paso. Pardo is not a U.S. citizen and has family in Zacatecas in central Mexico.
"She was stabbed approximately 14 times," said Pedro Gonzalez with the Balch Springs Police Department.
Gonzalez says that, other than a criminal mischief complaint, Balch Springs police have never been called to the home for any reported domestic violence.
"We never got a referral from anyone or an outcry from anyone." Gonzalez said. "But we are getting information right now as we speak on some of the past history of possible family violence."
"And unfortunately going to retrieve her things ended up costing my sister her life," Gricelda Gurrola said.
Gurrola says the couple's three young children -- ages 12, 10, and 3 -- are safe and at an undisclosed location. A GoFundMe account is now asking for donations for burial expenses. They plan to bring her home to Fredericksburg.
Meanwhile, police and the Gurrola family plead for help to find Luis Pardo.
"So my sister Hilda gets her justice and we have that peace of mind that he's not out there anymore trying to do harm to anybody else," Gricelda Gurrola said.
Balch Springs detectives are asking for anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Luis Pardo to call 911 and contact Detective Sergeant Traughber #547 at 469-853-2670 or via email at traughber547@balchspringspd.com.
In an unrelated case in Wilmer, TX, authorities are still searching for 38-year-old Juan Aguilar-Cano, who is wanted in the murder of Zuleika Arzate-Lopez and the abduction of their 10-year-old son Ian. Officials said they believe Lopez's homicide occurred before the boy went missing on Nov. 14.
Aguilar-Cano was reported last seen in Houston, Wilmer police said. The suspect vehicle both he and Ian were believed to be in was found abandoned at a Houston bus station: a bus company that makes daily trips to Mexico.
The Wilmer Police Department said last week they have reason to believe that 10-year-old Ian Aguilar is now with family in Mexico and no longer with his father.