On December 14, 2025, the community of Wallace, North Carolina, was shaken by a violent incident at a residence located on Wallace Mobile Home Park Lane. Law enforcement officers were dispatched to the scene following reports of a shooting, where they discovered the lifeless body of Iliana Lizbeth Valenzuela Gomez. The 39-year-old Hispanic female had suffered fatal gunshot wounds in what investigators determined to be a homicide committed within her own home.
The Wallace Police Department immediately secured the area and began an investigation, gathering evidence and soliciting information from the public to identify the person responsible for her death.
Following the initial response, detectives quickly identified a suspect believed to have fled the immediate area after the shooting. The investigation expanded beyond Duplin County as authorities tracked the individual's movements. With the assistance of the State Bureau of Investigation and the Harnett County Sheriff's Office, the Wallace Police Department was able to locate the suspect in Harnett County. The coordinated law enforcement effort resulted in the apprehension of the alleged shooter less than 48 hours after the incident occurred.
Police arrested Melvin Morales in connection with the slaying. After being taken into custody in Harnett County, Morales was transported back to Duplin County to face charges. He was formally charged with murder for the death of Valenzuela Gomez and was subsequently booked into the Duplin County Jail, where he was ordered to be held without bond pending further legal proceedings.
The victim, who was born in Mexico, had been a resident of Wallace where she lived with her family. She is survived by her parents, her husband Eric Martinez, and her children, including two daughters and a son. A funeral service was later scheduled to take place at the Hope Valley Hawkins Funeral Chapel to honor her memory. As the legal case against Morales proceeds, he remains the sole suspect identified by authorities in this fatal shooting.
