FAMILY STILL SEEKS RESOLUTION IN DAUGHTER’S DEATH

The thought of her daughter’s slaying almost six months ago feels like her own death, as if they “ripped everything from me,” Aracely Palacio said with tears in her eyes.

“My life is done,” she continued in Spanish.

The remains of Lesly Palacio, a 22-year-old east Las Vegas resident who vanished in late August after she met up with a longtime family acquaintance, were found Sept. 9 in the desert near the Valley of Fire State Park.

Metro Police allege Erick Michel Rangel-ibarra — who was 25 at the time — killed her, and his father, Jose Antonio Rangel, helped conceal the crime.

The elder Rangel, 46, was captured by federal agents at the U.s.-mexico border in San Diego. He was extradited to Las Vegas on Jan. 31, according to Metro.

His son remains a fugitive at-large. A grand jury indicted father and son on Friday on one count each of accessory to commit murder and destroying evidence, according to court records. The son is facing an additional count of murder.

The Clark County Coroner’s Office has not revealed how Palacio died. Citing an open investigation, Metro has refused to release charging documents, which would outline the allegations.

But referencing grand jury proceedings, Ofelia Markarian, an attorney representing the Palacio family, said police have video from the Rangel home that shows the father helping his son drag the woman’s limp body into a pickup truck.

Markarian said that Rangel-ibarra then drove to the state park, about 50 miles north of Las Vegas, to ditch the body, while his father stayed behind to clean up any evidence.

“He covered up the crime,” Markarian added. “I’m speechless.”

Jose Antonio Rangel was being held on a $100,000 bond. His attorney did not return multiple calls seeking comment.

The arrest serves as only a small consolation for the Palacios, the first step toward obtaining a sense of closure they’re desperately seeking. They know that the capture of Lesly’s alleged killer, convictions and long prison sentences won’t bring back their loved one.

But they’re mindful that justice might help begin a healing process.

Asked how she’s doing, Aracely Palacio’s eyes instantly welled up. “Mal, extrañando a mi hija,” (bad, missing my daughter).

“I hurt deeply, I need my daughter so much,” she added.

But asked to speak directly to Rangel-ibarra, the mother composed herself,

CHRISTOPHER DEVARGAS (2020) The sidewalk outside the Palacio home in Las Vegas has become a memorial to Lesly Palacio. Her body was found in the desert near Valley of Fire State Park on Sept. 9, 2020, after she had gone missing for nearly 12 days. Family acquaintances Erick Michel Rangelibarra, 25, and his father, Jose Rangel, 46, have been indicted in Palacio’s death. Jose Rangel is in custody but Erick Rangel-ibarra is still at large.