Woman found stabbed and engulfed in flames, Virginia cops say. One arrested

Officers arrived to a “horrific” crime in an apartment on Aug. 10 and a photo from a community member helped solve it, police in Virginia said.

The Fairfax County Police Department and the Fairfax County Fire Department both responded just after 3 p.m. to two separate calls at an apartment in Falls Church. One call was to report a man and a woman arguing and the other was a notification that a fire alarm went off, police said in a news release.

First responders saw smoke billowing out of the apartment and rushed inside, Maj. Ed O’Carroll said in a news conference.

Once firefighters and police entered the apartment, they found 40-year-old Silvia Vaca Abacay on fire and suffering from stab wounds, according to the release.

Despite life-saving efforts from first responders, Abacay was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

“This is a horrific crime. It’s profoundly sad,” O’Carrol said in a press conference.

Officials ruled Acabay’s death a homicide and began interviewing neighbors for information.

That’s when they got a lead, O’Carroll said.

One community member provided a still photo of the suspect, which police later identified as 47-year-old Richard Montano.

“With that photo… we knew then that he was a person of interest…and that person of interest was ultimately responsible and charged by officers,” O’Carroll said.

Montano is facing charges of second-degree murder, burglary with intent to commit murder, and burning of an occupied dwelling, according to the release. He is being held in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bail, officers said.

Montano knew Abacay, according to O’Carroll, and police are not pursuing any other suspects in the case. Police have responded to the same residence before to investigate other domestic disputes, O’Carrol said.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call detectives at 703-246-7800 or anonymously through Crime Solvers at 866-411-8477.

Falls Church is about 5 miles west of Arlington.

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