Mary Elizabeth Jacobo, the woman who fled after her 2-year-old daughter was found in cardiac arrest and later died of fentanyl poisoning, was arrested Tuesday in Seaside, police said.
Jacobo, 26, is being held without bail on a failure to appear warrant out of Multnomah County, according to the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office.
She was arrested by Seaside police at the Inn at Seaside and booked into the Clatsop County Jail at 11:30 a.m., records show.
Portland police said officers seized a handgun from Jacobo upon her arrest.
Officers had been searching for her and sought the public’s help last week, saying they suspected she had been involved in an armed carjacking since she was last seen at a home in Northeast Portland.
On Sept. 12, Jacobo attempted to resuscitate her toddler but then ran out of the home, telling a friend to call 911, according to a relative. The child, Aurora Fernandez, was pronounced dead at a local hospital later that day.
Jacobo fled because she told others she faced warrants for her arrest, said Isa Smith, the toddler’s cousin. Jacobo has prior felony convictions and is barred from having a gun.
“I’m happy that she’s finally been caught,” said Tina Hodges, an aunt of Aurora.
Another man was arrested Tuesday at the same location with Jacobo. Joshua Alan Hill, 36, was booked into the Clatsop County Jail, accused of harassment and strangulation stemming from an unrelated case, jail records show.
Oregon State Police, Seaside police and the Washington County Tactical Negotiations Team helped officers from Portland Police Bureau’s major crimes and narcotics units in taking Jacobo into custody.
Jacobo faced two arrest warrants earlier this year, including one issued when she failed to check in after her release on charges including being a felon with a gun and car theft in a 2023 case. The other warrant was issued when she failed to appear in court on allegations of being a felon with a gun and resisting arrest in a 2022 case, according to court records.
Jacobo has convictions for attempted second-degree assault in 2018 in Multnomah County and unlawful use of a vehicle in Clackamas County in 2020. She also was convicted in Washington state for unlawful possession of a gun.
— Maxine Bernstein covers federal court and criminal justice. Reach her at 503-221-8212, mbernstein@oregonian.com, follow her on X @maxoregonian, or on LinkedIn.
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