LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — After nearly two years of heartbreak and unanswered questions, the family of Tabatha Tozzi may finally see justice take a step forward.
Oswaldo Nathanahel Perez-Sanchez, the man accused of killing 27-year-old Tabatha Tozzi in Las Vegas in April 2023, was arrested Tuesday in Sonora, Mexico.
Mexican authorities confirmed in a Facebook post that the Unidad Especializada en Aprehensiones (UNESA), acting on a warrant issued by the Fiscalía General del Estado de Sinaloa, executed the arrest in Ciudad Obregón. Perez-Sanchez had reportedly been living under the alias “Jorge N” while hiding in the region.
Authorities say he is now being transported to Culiacán, where he will be held at the Aguaruto Penitentiary and presented before the Juzgado de Control y de Enjuiciamiento Penal. Perez-Sanchez is also being investigated in connection with the femicide and forced disappearance of another woman whose body was discovered on April 7, 2025, in Villa Fontana, Culiacán.
A mother’s unimaginable loss
The arrest marks a major development in a case that has gripped the Las Vegas community for nearly two years. Tabatha Tozzi, a young woman described by friends and family as bright, loving, and full of potential, was killed in April of 2023. Metro police say she was shot outside of a northwest Las Vegas home, allegedly by her boyfriend, Perez-Sanchez, before he fled the country.
Her mother, Regina Lacerda, has been a tireless advocate for justice ever since. In multiple emotional interviews, she spoke candidly about the pain of losing her daughter and the torment of knowing the suspect remained at large.
“The day before this happened, she even told me, ‘Mom, I’m not happy. I’m trying to break up with him, but I’m afraid,’” Lacerda previously told Channel 13. “She said she was afraid he’d do something to himself. And I said, ‘To himself or to you?’”
On the morning of the shooting, Lacerda received a frantic call from her daughter asking to be picked up. “I couldn’t make it there on time to save my daughter,” she recalled, through tears.
The Search for Justice
For months, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI worked to locate Perez-Sanchez. Ten days after the shooting, Metro Police released his photo to the public. Some, including Lacerda, questioned whether releasing it earlier might have made a difference.
In 2023, on what would have been Tabatha’s 27th birthday, the FBI announced they had officially joined the case, intensifying the international search and raising the reward for information to $30,000.
Retired LVMPD Lieutenant Randy Sutton had said at the time, “You can run for a while, but they are on the scent, and once they’re on the scent, they’re not getting off it.”
A Community United: “The Tabby Tribe”
Throughout the investigation, friends and supporters formed what became known as the "Tabby Tribe"—a passionate group determined to keep Tabatha’s memory alive and demand accountability. Vigils, rallies, and memorials were held across the Las Vegas valley.
“My daughter will never be a cold case,” Lacerda told the crowd during a memorial event at the Metro Police Headquarters. “We will always fight for her.”
