Yasmin Arzola Ortiz

Yasmin Arzola Ortiz was a young Hispanic woman remembered by those who knew her as a wonderful, amazing, joyful, and smart individual. At 20 years old, she was just beginning her adult life in Houston, Texas. Some who memorialized her online recalled her as a lovely person with a happy disposition who had worked as a nutritionist. Her life was cut tragically short by a senseless act of violence that unfolded in the early morning hours of a weekend.

On Sunday, January 26, 2014, Yasmin was in the parking lot of the Mekano Live Club, a nightclub located in the 9300 block of Richmond Avenue near Ocee Street in west Houston. At approximately 1:55 a.m., a dispute that began inside the club between two men spilled out into the parking lot. One of the men, identified by police as Emilio Angel Cervantes-Gonzales, then 23, allegedly produced a gun and opened fire. Yasmin was struck by the gunfire. It has never been clarified by investigators whether she was involved in the initial argument or was simply an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.

Emergency crews arrived at the scene and found Yasmin critically wounded. She was rushed to a nearby hospital for immediate medical attention. Despite the efforts of doctors, she succumbed to her injuries several days after the shooting. Her death was ruled a homicide, and an investigation was launched by the Houston Police Department's Homicide Division.

Detectives C. Howard and R. Lujan took the lead on the case. Their preliminary investigation pointed to the fight inside the club as the catalyst for the shooting. Through further investigation, they identified Cervantes-Gonzales as the sole suspect in Yasmin's death. The Harris County District Attorney's Office was consulted, and a murder charge was filed against him in the 177th State District Court. However, by the time the warrant was issued, Cervantes-Gonzales had vanished.

Investigators believed Cervantes-Gonzales had fled the Houston area shortly after the shooting, with strong suspicions that he had escaped to Mexico to evade capture. An alert was issued to the public and law enforcement agencies, asking for help in locating him. He was last seen driving a green Hummer SUV with Texas license plate number CKF8760. For over a year, his whereabouts remained unknown, and the case grew cold as he remained a fugitive from justice.

A significant breakthrough in the case came on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2015. Agents with the U.S. Border Patrol's Rio Grande Valley Sector were patrolling a ranch near Encino, Texas, when they encountered a group of individuals. During a field interview, one man admitted to having an outstanding warrant for murder out of Houston. Biometric data confirmed the man was Emilio Angel Cervantes-Gonzales. After a year on the run, the man accused of killing Yasmin Ortiz was finally in custody.

Following his capture, Cervantes-Gonzales was transferred to the custody of Harris County authorities to face the murder charge. As of the latest available information, the case against him is proceeding through the court system. The capture of the suspect brought a long-awaited step toward justice for Yasmin Arzola Ortiz, though the final legal outcome remains pending. Anyone with information that could still be pertinent to the case was previously urged to contact the HPD Homicide Division or Crime Stoppers.