Photo: Orange County Sheriff
A man described as a "potential serial killer" accused of strangling two sex workers to death on separate occasions was captured in Florida this week.
Carlos Yadiel Baez-Nievez, 25, faces two first-degree murder charges and is currently in custody, Orange County Sheriff John Mina announced during a press conference on Monday (April 29). Baez-Nievez is accused of picking up the two women, identified as Fatia Flowers, 41, and Nichole Daniels, 44, having sex with them and killing them before disposing their bodies like "trash" on separate occasions in March and April, according to Mina.
“Then Baez-Nieves drove to an intersection and pushed their lifeless bodies out of his truck,” Mina added.
Flowers' body was found on March 14, and Daniels' body was later discovered on April 17 at the same location.
Surveillance footage showed Daniels getting into a "very distinctive" white Ford F-150 pickup truck on the night before her death, which other women working in the area told authorities they had also noticed. Baez-Nieves, who was initially arrested on a suspended license, was identified as the owner of the truck, according to an Orange County official.
The suspect confessed to the two murders while in police custody and claimed he had "rough sex" with one of the women and the other attacked him first, Mina confirmed during the press conference, crediting investigators for capturing a "potential serial killer."
“I’m very confident because of our detectives’ relentless efforts in this case that they stopped Baez-Nieves from becoming a prolific serial killer,” Mina said.
“He targeted women who he clearly thought would not be missed. He murdered them and dump their bodies on the side of the road like they were trash, but very, very grateful and thankful for our great detectives who knew Fatia’s and Nichole’s life were meaningful and they of course deserve justice like all of us.”