Oxnard woman sentenced for murder of 3-year-old daughter

An Oxnard woman who murdered her three-year-old daughter and disposed of her body in Mexico could spend the rest of her life in prison.

Mayra Alejandra Chavez, 27, of Oxnard was sentenced to 37 years to life in prison for the death of her daughter Kimberly Chavez Lopez in 2015, Ventura County District Attorney Gregory Totten announced on Tuesday.

Chavez was found guilty of second-degree murder, assault resulting in the death of a child, and torture in December 2016. She also pleaded guilty to three counts of perjury for lying in court testimony in 2016 when authorities were looking for Kimberly, unaware that Chavez had killed her.

Chavez lost custody of her daughter when the baby tested positive for drugs at birth. She was eventually returned to Chavez but was taken away for a second time after Chavez abused the child. Chavez eventually regained custody again and continued to torture her daughter, ultimately leading to Kimberly’s death.

Chavez and Omar Lopez, the girl’s father, traveled to Tijuana, Mexico to dispose of their daughter’s body. Her remains have never been recovered.

Lopez is expected to be sentenced to 14 years in prison later this year, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.

Chavez’s mother, Maria De Jesus Lopez, 45, of Oxnard, was sentenced to 180 days in prison earlier this month for helping her daughter dispose of Kimberly’s remains.