A tragedy has shocked the migrant community in the United States. Maria Florinda Rios Perez, a 32-year-old Guatemalan immigrant and mother of four, was shot and killed in the city of Whitestown, Indiana, on Wednesday, November 6, 2025, after mistakenly showing up at a house she was not supposed to clean.
Now the family of Maria Florinda is demanding justice and the immediate arrest of the person responsible.
Maria Florinda Rios Perez came to clean a house
Mauricio Velasquez explains how yesterday at about 6:40 am they were about to enter one of the houses they regularly cleaned and while Maria Florinda Rios Perez was taking out the keys a bullet came from inside without the door opening and took her life. pic.twitter.com/4NQ3OO7G7y
– WI-JO-® (@wijors) November 6, 2025
María Florinda Ríos Pérez worked with her husband, Mauricio Velásquez, for a house cleaning company.
As Velasquez told local media such as WCNC, the company gave them the wrong address that day, leading them to a house located in the Heritage development in a residential neighborhood northwest of Indianapolis.
When Maria approached the door of the home, presumably without entering or forcing access, the owner of the place – a man whose identity has not been revealed by the authorities – shot her, claiming he felt threatened.
The woman fell mortally wounded on the porch.
The Whitestown Police Department responded to a call of a possible attempted break-in.
Upon arrival, the agents found the immigrant already lifeless in the entrance of the house.
Despite what happened, the shooter was not immediately arrested and is at large while the investigation continues.
A cry for justice
The family of Rios Perez has raised its voice to demand legal action against the attacker.
Her devastated husband recounted that he held his wife’s bloodied body while waiting for the police to arrive.
“I ask for justice because the person who did this I don’t think is right in the head,” she told WCNC in tears.
Maria Florinda Rios Perez and her family had migrated to the United States from Guatemala three years ago in the hope of a better life.
Her four children, aged between 11 months and 17 years, were left motherless.
“It is not possible that he is free while the children suffer for their mother,” said Velasquez, demanding the intervention of the authorities.
Solidarity community
A campaign on the GoFundMe platform was launched by family and friends to raise funds to repatriate the body to Guatemala and financially support the victim’s children.
In the description, it is noted that María Florinda was a hardworking, humble and kind woman, who accepted multiple jobs in order to provide a decent life for her children.
So far, Whitestown police have declined to release the name of the attacker or whether he faces any charges.
They indicated that the investigation remains open and that more information will be provided over the next week.
The lack of arrest has sparked outrage among immigrant rights groups, who believe the case could be influenced by racial bias, or lax enforcement of Indiana’s gun laws.
For the Guatemalan community in the U.S., the murder of Maria Rios Perez represents a profound pain and a reminder of the barriers and dangers that persist for those who, like her, only seek to work honestly.
