Sheriff: Car used in carjacking, kidnapping near Winter Springs tied to Taft murder 1 day earlier

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma held a news conference Monday afternoon to provide an update on an armed carjacking and kidnapping that left a woman dead last week.

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Investigators said Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas, 31, was carjacked at gunpoint shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday at East Lake Drive and Tuskawilla Road near Winter Springs.

They said cellphone video showed someone in a 2002 green Acura driving behind her and hitting her car from behind.

Investigators said De Aguasvivas called her husband for help, and he told her to stop her vehicle.

Read: ‘Completely unacceptable’: Orange County deputy arrested in Seminole County on 5 charges

They said they believe that a person who was in the Acura pointed a gun at De Aguasvivas and got into her back seat.

At gunpoint, De Aguasvivas drove through multiple counties until they reached Osceola County, where the car was found on fire.

Investigators said De Aguasvivas had traveled to Central Florida from South Florida, arriving at the Orlando area at about 2 p.m. Thursday.

Sheriff to give update on armed carjacking near Winter Springs that resulted in homicide (WFTV)

They said that she had stopped at a Shell gas station to refuel her vehicle shortly before being carjacked.

Deputies said Friday that a body was later found in the burning car in Osceola County and that the vehicle matched the description of the white Dodge Durango that she was driving.

They said they are trying to identify the remains to determine if they belong to De Aguasvivas.

Woman missing after armed carjacking believed to be dead, Seminole County sheriff says Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said the woman who went missing after a carjacking is believed to be dead. (Brittany Caldwell, WFTV.com/WFTV)

Read: Deputies search for suspects in deadly carjacking out of Seminole County

Lemma said Monday that detectives have located the Acura, which was tied to a deadly shooting in Orange County’s Taft neighborhood Wednesday evening.

He said the vehicle previously owned by a Winter Springs family but was sold to a car dealership in December, and that dealership traded it off to an auto auction, which sold it to a “buy here, pay here” lot.

Lemma said the people who bought the car never returned to the lot to complete paperwork, so it was still titled to the original owners.

VIDEO: Woman missing after possible carjacking in Seminole County, deputies say The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public to be on the lookout for a woman who was possibly carjacked near Winter Springs Thursday evening. (Jeff Levkulich, WFTV.com/WFTV)

He said the vehicle has been without the necessary documents and a legitimate license plate since February.

Lemma described the vehicle as “incredibly rare,” saying that it was the last remaining 2002 green Acura in the state.

He said the vehicle did not have a license plate when it was towed March 19 from an Orange County apartment complex.

Read: Woman missing after armed carjacking believed to be dead, Seminole County sheriff says

Lemma said that Juan Luis Cintron Garcia -- the driver of that tow truck -- was killed Wednesday evening in a shooting, one day before the carjacking and kidnapping near Winter Springs. At least 100 rounds were fired during that shooting.

He said the vehicle was taken to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office to be evaluated for evidence. Detectives are still looking for information about the car’s occupants.

See a map of the scene below:

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