A formal arrest has been made in connection to the murder of a young Eureka Springs woman over New Year's Eve.

Carroll County Sheriff Bob Grudek says that 18-year-old Victor Hugo Acuna-Sanchez of Berryville was formally arrested Tuesday, Jan. 15, and charged with capital murder in connection with the New Year’s Eve slaying of 21-year-old Laura Aceves of Eureka Springs.

Acuna-Sanchez was already in custody at the Carroll County Detention Center, where he was being held on other charges.

The events that ultimately led to Acuna-Sanchez’s arrest began at around 12:40 p.m. on Dec. 31, when a 911 dispatcher received a call concerning an unresponsive female, who was later identified as Aceves.

A press release issued by the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 2 stated that Aceves had been discovered in her Eureka Springs apartment, lying in a pool of blood. She was transported by ambulance to Mercy Hospital in Rogers.

Grudek said Rogers Police Department personnel informed the sheriff’s office that Aceves was deceased, apparently as a result of a gunshot wound to the head. A “metal object” was also reportedly lodged in the victim’s head.