Daughter’s confession leads to mother’s arrest in slaying

Keith Paul

Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2001 | 10:46 a.m.

A 53-year-old woman was charged with murder after her daughter confessed Tuesday to authorities she helped her mother bury her mother's boyfriend in the back yard of a North Las Vegas house more than a year ago.

Evangelina Toledo was being booked into the North Las Vegas jail Tuesday night, but a routine medical screening determined her blood pressure was too high and she was taken to University Medical Center, said Lt. Art Redcay, a North Las Vegas Police spokesman. Toledo was in UMC this morning and will be booked once released from the hospital.

Toledo's daughter, currently living in California, was apparently racked with guilt and went to the Clark County district attorney's office with her pastor to tell authorities about burying her mother's boyfriend in May 1999 in the back yard of where she lived with her mother and the man at 1917 Stanford St., near East Lake Mead Boulevard and Las Vegas Boulevard North.

"The daughter had nothing to gain from coming forward," Redcay said. "We most likely would have never found him if she hadn't told us what happened."

Police started digging in the back yard of the home and quickly found a body wrapped in several large, plastic trash bags in a shallow grave. The remains were taken to the Clark County coroner's office for an autopsy to determine cause of death and make a positive identification, Redcay said.

Police suspect the remains found are that of the Toledo's then-31-year-old boyfriend, but they are not releasing his name until a positive identification is made.

After talking with Toledo's 24-year-old daughter, whose name police would not release, police tracked Toledo down in a small home behind a business in the 3300 block of East Charleston Boulevard, near Eastern Avenue.

After interviewing Toledo, detectives arrested her, Redcay said.

Toledo's daughter told authorities she was asleep on the May evening when her mother woke her up asking her to help bury the boyfriend. Toledo is accused of shooting the man to death, Redcay said.

The 24-year-old daughter only told authorities about the body after asking for and being given immunity from prosecution for helping bury the body.

"We are always interested in solving crimes and holding people accountable and some times we have to make a deal with the sinner to get the devil," Clark County District Attorney Stewart Bell said.

The immunity only goes to events after the killing. If authorities determine a greater involvement by the daughter, she would not have immunity to prosecution, Bell said.

The daughter said she moved out soon after helping her mother bury the body. Toledo moved out sometime after that, and no one has lived in the small house since.