NYPD Detectives Join Manhunt in Mexico for Suspect in Bay Ridge Bartender's Killing

Maria Santos Flores, 36, was found dead inside her Bay Ridge home on 85th Street near 4th Avenue on June 20, her throat slashed, according to the New York Post. Her 17-year-old son and her sister, Angelica Flores, made the discovery after she returned home from a night shift.

More than a month later, the man wanted for her killing, identified by police as Misal Cruz, has not been caught. NYPD sources tell the Post that detectives have recently crossed into Mexico to join federal agents and Mexican authorities in the search for him.

"They are on the hunt, collaborating with federal and Mexican officials," one NYPD source said.

A Family Left With Questions

Santos Flores worked nights as a bartender at Huatulco Sports Bar in Sunset Park. Her husband, Antonio Hernandez, told the Post that police believe someone followed her home from work the night she was killed.

The couple's two children, the 17-year-old son and a 3-year-old, were home at the time. Angelica Flores described finding her sister's body to the Post: "I came to visit her and found her like this. She had just come home from work."

No motive has been publicly disclosed by the NYPD. No formal charges against Cruz have been detailed in available reporting beyond his status as the wanted suspect in the case.

The Cross-Border Piece

NYPD detectives operating inside Mexico is notable. City police normally have no jurisdiction there, so any presence would be strictly in a supporting or liaison role alongside federal agencies like the FBI or U.S. Marshals Service, which routinely handle international fugitive cases, and Mexican law enforcement.

A suspect in a brutal Brooklyn homicide was allegedly able to leave the country and evade capture for weeks. It is not yet established, based on available reporting, whether Cruz is a U.S. citizen, a legal resident, or here unlawfully, and no source has confirmed his immigration status. Speculating on that point beyond what police have said would go further than the facts allow.

What is established is that a mother of two was murdered in her own home, allegedly stalked from her workplace, and her killer has had weeks to put distance between himself and New York City investigators.

What Happens Next

The manhunt remains active as of this writing, with no announced arrest. Cooperation between NYPD, federal authorities, and Mexican law enforcement suggests investigators believe they have a specific lead on Cruz's location, though nothing in current reporting confirms an imminent capture.

For the Santos Flores family, the wait continues. Extradition, if Cruz is located and detained in Mexico, would likely take months even under a best-case scenario, given the typical pace of U.S.-Mexico extradition proceedings for homicide suspects.

The NYPD has not released a public timeline for the investigation or said whether additional suspects or persons of interest are being considered. Anyone with information has presumably been directed to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers, though no tip line number was included in available reporting.