Two South Florida residents have been arrested in connection to the murder of a North Miami woman that took place in the Florida Panhandle.
Zachary Abell and Christina Araujo are accused of killed 31-year-old Aileen Seiden last week in Franklin County.
Franklin County Sheriffs officials say the victim was returning to South Florida from a road trip to Texas, along with Abell and Araujo. The trio reportedly worked together at Abell’s used car business in North Miami Beach.
Officials said the trip was supposed to be for business purposes, but the relationship was complicated by a love triangle.
“They were traveling through town, stopped at a local motel, and at some point over their stay, there was an altercation in the room, and she was beaten to death,” officials said, according to a report by WSVN News.
The victim’s sister, Franceasca Seiden, said she was struck severely. “They beat her face and her throat and her ribs in,” she said.
Seiden’s body was found on the side of the road near the North Florida town of Eastpoint, April 23.
Abell and Araujo made it back to South Florida, officials said. The accused killers stayed with a friend in Davie who called police when he learned about what happened in the Panhandle.
Agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement took the duo into custody on April 24.
Abell and Araujo have each been charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
They are currently being held at the Broward County Jail, as they await extradition to Franklin County.