A Big-Hearted Aunt

Marisol Alvarado was a busy young mother with three children. She devoted most of her free time to her two sons and a daughter, all under the age of five. Marisol's life consisted of cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping and all the other tasks every homemaker does on a daily basis. The most important duty she faced every day was loving, teaching, wiping off tears and handing out hugs and kisses. In spite of how busy and noisy things could get at the Alvarado home every day, friends and family were welcome to stop by any time: Marisol was a great cook and hostess. Everyone who knew her was used to her always being really busy with her flock, yet somehow managing to do it all.

Yet, even her greatest advocates thought Marisol Alvarado might have taken on too much when she adopted her newborn nephew Mario. His mother, Marisol's sister, was found unfit to raise her son, and of all the family members, the State chose the infant's aunt as the best person for the job. Immediately after Mario's birth on June 7, 2007, he was placed in Aunt Marisol's custody.

Mario died when he was but three weeks old. He died at the hands of his enraged aunt, who violently shook the newborn and then flung him into the air. The baby suffered severe head injuries and multiple bone fractures. Alvarado did take the unresponsive infant to the hospital, where all efforts were made to save him, but he soon died.

Before the police arrived to take her away, Alvarado fled from Tennessee with her three children, violating a DCS Safety Plan and evading arrest. For nearly a year now, police have been searching for Marisol Alvarado and her three children, whose lives may also be in danger. They may be traveling with Alvarado's domestic partner Refugio Dominguez, who uses the last name of Zapata.

The above account is based on a true story. Background checks protect peaceful citizens from being deceived and/or harmed by a cunning criminal.