Suspect Arrested in Death of 84-year-old Woman

An 84-year old woman was attacked last month at a home in Spring Valley, reports the Metro Police. Mary Luebeck was found dead at approximately 11:55 am on July 29 at a home in the 3200 block of Opera Drive near Desert Inn Road and Decatur Boulevard.

28-year old Margarita Balandova of Las Vegas has been arrested in connection with this crime. The police have charged her on counts of murder, robbery, home invasion and arson as per police reports. However, according to the authorities, the investigation is still ongoing as they believe that there might be another suspect who may also have been involved in the incident.

The victim was found dead with stab wounds to her head, neck and chest, reports the Clark County Coroner’s Office. The victim’s body was found by her daughter.

According to the detectives, it appears that someone broke into Luebeck’s house through the sliding glass door by using a large rock. They then went inside and stabbed the victim numerous times. The house had been ransacked and the police believe that the suspects put cardboard and a bottle of Windex on top of the gas stove to set the house on fire and destroy any evidence. However, the fire went out before it could spread.

Witnesses report that on the day Luebeck’s body was found, there were loud noises and they heard a man and woman arguing near the victim’s house. This was around 3:30 am that day. The neighbours have also expressed concern about Timothy Coleman and Balandova. Coleman is married to Balandova. He has told the detectives that Balandova returned home that day with no shoes and blood on her clothes. She admitted that she had killed someone. Coleman also admitted that he helped her burn her clothes.

Balandova is now in custody and was arrested by Metro’s Criminal Apprehension Team which is made up of detectives for Metro, the Henderson Police Department and the FBI. The suspect is currently being held at the Clark County Detention Center.

The police have requested that if anyone has any additional information, they should contact Metro’s homicide section at 702-828-3521 or email them at homicide@LYMPD.com. You can also call Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555 or online at crimestoppersofnv.com if you wish to remain anonymous. Any tips that lead to an arrest may be eligible for a cash reward.