Carmen Lizet Puch was remembered as a quiet, hardworking mother as police announced an arrest in her death Wednesday.
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — Friends and coworkers are mourning Carmen Lizet Puch, a 42-year-old Reston mother whose death near a Great Falls trail prompted a homicide investigation and the arrest Wednesday of a 19-year-old man who reportedly worked alongside her.
Puch was found early Monday in a gravel parking area near Difficult Run trails after a jogger saw her lying beside her car and called police. Fairfax County officers said she had trauma to her upper body and was pronounced dead at the scene. Police identified her Tuesday, and on Wednesday announced that detectives had arrested Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos in connection with the homicide.
The arrest brought a new focus to a case that had left Puch’s family, coworkers and investigators searching for answers. News4 reported that Cedillos-Campos and Puch were coworkers at Bitez restaurant in the Herndon area, citing sources familiar with the investigation. Police had not publicly explained their relationship, identified a motive or said what evidence led detectives to the 19-year-old as of Wednesday morning.
People who knew Puch described her as soft-spoken and dedicated to supporting her young daughter. Abdul Anwari, owner of Bitez, told News4 that employees were struggling to process her death. He said the restaurant and others close to Puch were focused on helping her family and daughter following the killing.
Puch’s relatives were from New Jersey, according to friends interviewed by News4. Family members traveled to Northern Virginia after learning of her death and were helping care for her daughter. Coworkers also organized financial support for the family as they dealt with the sudden loss. The response added a personal dimension to an investigation that began with few public clues about why Puch had been at the isolated parking area.
A jogger discovered Puch shortly before 7 a.m. Monday beside a dark red 2011 Honda Civic registered to her. The small parking area provides access to trails near Difficult Run and is used by runners, hikers and other visitors. Investigators spent hours processing the area, placing evidence markers around the scene and later towing Puch’s vehicle.
NBC Washington reported, citing sources familiar with the case, that Puch was stabbed inside the Honda. Police publicly said she suffered upper-body trauma. Authorities had not explained when she arrived at the park, whether she went there alone or why she was at the trailhead. The absence of security cameras in the parking area complicated efforts to reconstruct the events before she was found.
Police said Monday that they had no immediate indication Puch’s killing was a random act. Detectives canvassed the surrounding area for cameras and asked anyone who traveled nearby around the time she was found to provide information or recordings. Investigators did not initially identify a suspect, and authorities said they were following leads while working to establish Puch’s movements.
Fairfax County police announced Wednesday morning that Cedillos-Campos had been arrested in connection with the homicide. The department did not immediately disclose his specific charges in its first announcement, and authorities had not released a motive. Police said more information would be provided later Wednesday as detectives continued the investigation.
The case now moves forward with both a criminal investigation and a grieving family left to confront Puch’s death. Police have not released a full account of what happened at the Great Falls parking area, and several central questions — including why Puch went there and what led to the fatal encounter — remained unanswered Wednesday morning.
Author note: Last updated August 19, 2026.