In a tragic end to a tumultuous relationship, Gissell Selena Perez, a 24-year-old Hispanic female, was killed on January 19, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Friends and family remember her as a kind and genuine person who dedicated her career to working with children with disabilities. Her life was cut short in what authorities have described as a violent act following a history of domestic turmoil.
The events of that Sunday morning unfolded in a grim sequence, beginning inside a blue Ford
Mustang. Gissell was with her long-time, on-again, off-again boyfriend, 24-year-old Julio Machado Vasquez. According to police reports, Machado Vasquez shot Gissell in the back of the head. Instead of seeking immediate medical help, he drove around with her body in the passenger seat for nearly two hours. In a state of panic, he contacted a female acquaintance, confessing that he had "accidentally" shot his girlfriend and asked for help to dispose of her body in the desert. Alarmed, the acquaintance refused and promptly called 911, relaying the horrific story to the authorities.
Following the tip, officers from the Las Vegas Metro Police Department located Machado Vasquez driving the Mustang. When they attempted to pull him over, he fled, leading to a chase that ended when he crashed into another vehicle at the intersection of East Charleston Boulevard and North Pecos Road. Upon apprehending Machado Vasquez, who sustained injuries in the crash, police discovered Gissell's lifeless body in the passenger seat. She was suffering from an apparent gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Julio Machado Vasquez was arrested and charged with open murder with a deadly weapon. He is being held without bail at the Clark County Detention Center. In his statements to police and the acquaintance he called, he provided conflicting stories. He claimed that during an argument, Gissell grabbed a gun he had in the car, and when he snatched it back, he pointed it at his own head. He alleged the weapon then discharged accidentally, striking her. To the acquaintance, he had claimed he was "testing" Gissell with the weapon, believing the safety was on. Friends of Gissell and her family dispute the claim of an accident, pointing to a long history of toxic and controlling behavior from Machado Vasquez, which included stalking and harassment that left Gissell fearful.
