Just Married Woman Still In Wedding Dress Found Stabbed To Death

A woman in a wedding dress was found apparently stabbed to death in a bathtub in a southwest suburban Burbank apartment, just days after her wedding, officials said.

Estrella I. Carrera, 26, was found around 3:30 p.m. Sunday in the 7800 block of South Rutherford Avenue, according to police.

An autopsy conducted today determined that she died of multiple stab wounds and her death has been classified as a homicide, Burbank police said in a statement.

Police believe she was killed as a result of a domestic-related incident.

Carrera’s body was discovered after her sister became alarmed when she could not contact Carrera after she had failed to pick up her two children who were in the care of relatives. Carrera’s sister called police to conduct a well-being check at the home, officials said.

Carrera was last seen at about 2 a.m. Saturday, hours after her wedding the evening before, according to a source. The woman was scheduled to pick up her children, one 8 years old and the other 2 years old, from family on Saturday afternoon.

Carrera apparently suffered several stab wounds and was found in a dry tub, the source said. An autopsy is scheduled for today.

Burbank police were releasing few details but said the death was being investigated by the South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force.

A spokeswoman for the Cook County Clerk’s office said Carrera did not yet have a marriage certificate on file. The marriage is officially recorded after the officiant at the wedding signs the couple’s marriage license and submits it to the clerk’s office.

Jason Tokarczyk, 24, a neighbor, said the woman lived in the apartment for three or four months and he would see her with a young son. He said the woman was very quiet and kept to herself except for the occasional goodbye or hello.

He said he had never seen her in the company of a man and was surprised to hear that she had been recently married.

“I’ve never seen her with a dude…I figured she was a single mom,” said Tokarczyk. “She was quiet as a mouse.”

About a month ago she used his phone to call a locksmith after she was locked out of her home. He last saw her Thursday or Friday and did not see her in a wedding dress.

“You’d think you’d see a big thing if you had had a wedding,” said the neighbor.

He said said he was surprised when he heard about how the woman was found.

“I was shocked out of my mind to hear something had happened to her,” said Tokarczyk.