D.C. police are seeking the father of a 12-year-old girl who was strangled in her Northeast Washington home this week.
Felipe Antonio Caceres, 45, was last seen Tuesday morning at his third-floor apartment five hours before Marisol Caceres was found unconscious, police said.
Caceres has not been charged with the homicide, but police want to question him in her death.
The family, which is from Honduras, released a statement Thursday, expressing their sorrow and asking the public to respect their privacy.
“Our lives have forever changed,” said Bertha Caceres, Marisol’s mother. “My children and I are mourning our loss, but we are a strong family and we will recover and rebuild. We will always miss Marisol’s joyful presence.”
The family described Marisol as a beautiful, affectionate and intelligent child with a great desire to succeed. She was to start the seventh grade at Lincoln Middle School in the fall.
The family asked the public to help police track down Felipe Caceres.
Authorities had at first said Marisol was found with stab wounds. An autopsy revealed that she had been strangled. The medical examiner did not find any apparent evidence of sexual assault, decomposition, stab wounds or suffocation.
Caceres was described as a 45-year-old Hispanic male, 5 foot 8 inches, 150 pounds with black
hair, a mustache and a slight goatee.
He was last seen wearing navy-blue work-type pants, a striped polo shirt and black Nike boots. He was carrying a black backpack containing tools. He has a scar on his right arm.
Police say Caceres should be approached with caution and he might distraught over his daughter’s death.
Anyone with information about Caceres is asked to contact Detective Carlos Hilliard at 202-438-8844, Detective Ralph Durant at 202-497-1313. Callers wishing to remain anonymous should call 888-919-CRIM [E]. Anonymous information may also be forwarded to the department’s text tip line by text messaging 50411.
D.C. police are offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer.
