Deputies say footage depicts an armed suspect exiting a green Acura and carjacking a white Dodge Durango that was driven by Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas, screen in the inset. (Image of Aguasvivas: Seminole County Sheriff’s Office; screenshot via the sheriff’s office by way of Spectrum News)
Though they were still working on positive identification, deputies think they found a kidnapped woman dead in a burning car. It was an hour and 45 minutes from the time a masked suspect forcibly entered the white Dodge Durango driven by Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas, 31, in Seminole County, Florida, and the time that authorities south in Osceola County received a call for service for gunshots and the burning vehicle.
Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said in a press conference Friday that based on the relatively compressed amount of time, investigators think it was a direct route from the kidnaping scene to the scene of the fire.
But he cited the ongoing investigation when leaving a lot of questions unanswered. Even authorities are not quite sure why Aguasvivas, a resident of the Miami-Dade County city of Homestead, was up in their neck of the woods.
Katherine Aguasvivas was carjacked in Seminole County Thursday, and is now believed to be the victim of a homicide per @SeminoleSO. @SeminoleSheriff gave the public advice for how to handle a potential carjacking situation. @MyNews13 @BN9 pic.twitter.com/hsna2zS766
— Spectrum News Asher Wildman (@AsherWildman13) April 12, 2024
Authorities wrote Thursday that a witness recorded a suspect emerging from a green Acura to kidnap Aguasvivas, who was driving a white Dodge Durango.
“Just before 6:00 p.m. this evening (April 11, 2024), a witness recorded a possible carjacking in progress at the intersection of East Lake Drive and Tuskawilla Road in the Winter Springs area of unincorporated Seminole County,” they wrote. “In the video, an armed suspect, believed to be a white or Hispanic male, in a black hoodie, what appears to be a Halloween mask, and dark clothing can be seen pointing a weapon at the driver of a white Dodge Durango, (Florida’s License Plate KVFF22) and then getting in the back driver’s side door.”
Lemma characterized the mask as a ski or ninja-style mask.
Authorities described the second suspect as male and as a white or Hispanic person driving the Acura. The vehicle’s license plate was obscured, they said.
According the sheriff, the suspect Acura had begun ramming the Durango about a half-mile from the site of the kidnapping.
Lemma said that two people who recorded this “dangerous and frightening situation” while behind the Acura are “absolute heroes.”
Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas was driving this white Dodge Durango at left when this green Acura began to ram the vehicle, deputies said. (Images: Seminole County Sheriff’s Office)
According to the sheriff, it appears that Aguasvivas continued driving under the order of the armed suspect. At some point, the car reached Osceola County and entered into a construction site off Boggy Creek Road, where the body and car were discovered.
Lemma said that investigators learned from Aguasvivas’ husband that she was in Seminole County to visit family, but the husband did not give names, and investigators did not find any biological relatives in the area. Authorities did not know why she was there, or how long she planned on staying there, he said.
Investigators are not aware of either Aguasvivas or her husband calling law enforcement. Instead, Aguasvivas called her spouse, who told her not to stop the vehicle, Lemma said.
“I don’t know the answer to that,” the sheriff said, discussing why no one called 911.
Reporters in the press conference appeared incredulous as to the husband’s story. Lemma characterized the man as “helpful” and said they are continuing to speak with him.
Regarding the masked suspect’s weapon, Lemma said it appeared to be a 10mm gun. At the site of the burning car in Osceola County, authorities found 12 shell casings of 10mm rounds and one projectile, he said.
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