Missing mom of two found dead near Massachusetts lake, cops say. Neighbor arrested

A missing mom of two was found dead in a wooded area near a lake, and now her neighbor is charged, Massachusetts authorities said.

Carol Flaz-Burgos, 37, was reported missing Aug. 31, according to the Lawrence Police Department.

Prosecutors said surveillance footage at her apartment complex showed her texting and making the sign of a cross before entering the apartment of her neighbor, 35-year-old Cristian Montero, WCVB reported.

Montero was later seen leaving his unit with a wagon or beach cart that appeared to be full of clothes, officials said.

Law enforcement mounted a “full court press” to find Flaz-Burgos, Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker said in a news conference broadcast by WFTX.

The evening of Sept. 3, a Massachusetts State Police K-9 found Flaz-Burgos’ body near Kenoza Lake in a conservation area in Haverhill, about a 12-mile drive from where the mom was last seen, police said.

Officials said Montero was caught in a lie about his whereabouts when phone data pinged him in Haverhill, according to WFXT.

He’s now charged with witness intimidation and misleading an investigation, according to a news release from the Essex County District Attorney’s Office. An autopsy will help determine whether Montero will face an upgraded charge of murder, officials said.

“It’s not the result that we expected, but at least having found the body of Carol Flaz we have brought the family some comfort and some resolution,” Tucker said.

Lawrence is about a 30-mile drive north from Boston.

This story was originally published September 5, 2024 at 3:31 PM with the headline "Missing mom of two found dead near Massachusetts lake, cops say. Neighbor arrested."