A 35-year-old man has pleaded not guilty in connection with the death of a 26-year-old woman found with multiple stab wounds at a house in Barberton’s 1500 block of Wooster Road West, court records and police releases show.
Arraignment and charges
On 16 October 2026 Marcos Huerta-Garcia was arraigned in the Summit County Court of Common Pleas on charges of murder, felonious assault, aggravated robbery and gross abuse of a corpse, according to a police news release summarising the court appearance. He pleaded not guilty and Judge Christine Croce ordered that he be held without bail. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for 23 November 2026 at 13:00.
How the case unfolded
Barberton police responded on the night of 4 September 2026 after they had been contacted about a missing person. Officers entered the Wooster Road property and discovered evidence that prompted them to call in the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation for further enquiries. The body of the victim, identified as Yesli Yanet Vazquez Cruz, 26, was recovered in the basement and was reported to have multiple stab wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene in the early hours of 5 September, according to the release.
Police say Huerta-Garcia had been living at the same home with the victim and working in the United States. He is originally from Zapotitlán Tablas in the Mexican state of Guerrero, the release said.
Inter-agency capture
Authorities say Huerta-Garcia was located and arrested in Arizona, near the Mexican border, on 5 September. Barberton police reported that their investigation relied on co-operation with multiple agencies including the U.S. Marshals, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
"From the time of notification to the U.S. Marshal Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force to the time of the arrest in Arizona by the Arizona Department of Public Safety and Deputy U.S. Marshal Service from the Arizona Wanted Violent Offender Task Force was an incredible one hour and thirty minutes," said Barberton Public Information Officer Marty Eberhart in a police statement.
Local implication and next steps
The case remains before the Summit County court system. Huerta-Garcia is being held without bail pending his pretrial. The arraignment and the involvement of federal and interstate agencies highlight the rapid escalation from a missing-person report to a homicide investigation that crossed state lines.
For residents of Barberton, the incident is a stark reminder of how violent crimes can touch households and neighbourhoods. The police release did not include details about motive, nor were additional suspects named. Court documents and police statements indicate the investigation is ongoing and further proceedings will provide more detail as evidence is disclosed in court.
- Victim: Yesli Yanet Vazquez Cruz, 26
- Accused: Marcos Huerta-Garcia, 35
- Location: 1500 block, Wooster Road West, Barberton
- Key dates: 4–5 Sept (discovery and arrest); 16 Oct (arraignment); 23 Nov (pretrial)
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 4 Sept 2026 | Barberton police respond to a missing-person report; scene investigation begins |
| 5 Sept 2026 | Victim pronounced dead; suspect arrested in Arizona |
| 16 Oct 2026 | Arraignment in Summit County Court — plea of not guilty; held without bail |
| 23 Nov 2026 | Pretrial scheduled |
Police materials accompanying the arraignment did not disclose further forensic detail or the results of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s enquiries. Court filings that will be entered ahead of the pretrial may provide additional forensic and investigative findings. The public information officer’s statement emphasised the speed of co-ordination among law-enforcement agencies that located and apprehended the suspect.
Residents seeking more information should monitor official Summit County court records and Barberton police news releases as the matter proceeds through the court process.
