On August 31, 2025, at about 2:42 a.m. gunfire was reported in the 9000 block of Centerway Road in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Officers who responded to a home shared by Maritza Ferman Sorto, 35, found her outside with an apparent gunshot wound. Despite life-saving efforts by police and Montgomery County Fire Rescue personnel, Sorto, a mother of four, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives from the Major Crimes Division focused the investigation on Sorto’s partner, 39-year-old Luis Antonio Quintanilla, and obtained a warrant charging him with first-degree murder. Quintanilla left the area, prompting a manhunt that crossed state lines; he was located and arrested in Irving, Texas, on September 1, 2025, after individuals aware he was wanted notified Irving police. He was held in Texas awaiting extradition to Maryland.

Family described Sorto as a strong, hardworking mother who did everything for her children. If anyone has information about Maritza Ferman Sorto, her movements that night, or the events at the home on Centerway Road, please come forward.