In the quiet early morning hours in Whitestown, Indiana, a terrible mistake led to a tragic end for a 32-year-old mother of four. Maria Florinda Ríos Pérez, a resident of Indianapolis originally from Guatemala, was working with her husband as part of a cleaning crew on November 5, 2025. The couple mistakenly arrived at the wrong address for a scheduled job and were on the front porch when a single gunshot, fired from inside the house, struck and killed Ríos Pérez.
Her husband, Mauricio Velásquez, who was standing beside her, caught her as she fell, covered in blood. Police were called to the scene around 7 a.m. with a report of a possible home invasion, only to find Ríos Pérez deceased on the porch. It was later determined that she and her husband had not gained entry into the home.
The homeowner, identified as Curt Andersen, told investigators he was awakened by the sound of someone trying to unlock his front door and believed someone was attempting to break in. From the top of his stairs, he fired one round from his handgun through the closed and locked front door without giving any verbal warning. This single shot resulted in the death of Maria Florinda Ríos Pérez, who was struck in the head. The Boone County Coroner's Office later ruled her death a homicide. The incident sparked outrage and grief within the community, with family and friends holding vigils and demanding justice for a woman they described as a hardworking and devoted mother.
Following an investigation by the Whitestown Metropolitan Police Department, the case was submitted to the Boone County Prosecutor's Office. Subsequently, Curt Andersen was arrested and charged with voluntary manslaughter in connection with the shooting death of Maria Florinda Ríos Pérez. At a press conference, the Boone County Prosecutor stated that he did not believe Indiana's 'stand your ground' law applied in this case, as it was their contention that the homeowner did not have a reasonable belief that such force was necessary under the circumstances. Andersen's bail was set at $25,000, and he was ordered to surrender his passport. His trial was scheduled to begin in the spring of the following year. In the wake of the tragedy, fundraisers were established to support Ríos Pérez's husband and their four children, and to help transport her body back to her hometown in Guatemala for burial.
