Maria Ruiz, a 42-year-old Hispanic woman from Chicago, was fatally shot on January 13, 2018, in the parking lot of North Riverside Park Mall. The shooting occurred as Maria and her 14-year-old daughter were getting into their car; the daughter was wounded in the attack. The suspect, identified as Maria’s ex-boyfriend Honorio Perez, had reportedly been stalking her after their relationship ended and had obtained a gun in December 2017.

Perez was apprehended at a bus stop while attempting to flee to Mexico and later charged with first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm. He appeared in Cook County court in Maywood and was denied bail. The community raised funds to help with Maria’s funeral, and the incident was described as an isolated domestic violence event.

If anyone has information about Maria, her daughter, or the days leading up to January 13, please come forward.