Credit: Inside the MagicA potential serial killer has been arrested in Orange County, Florida, says Sheriff John Mina.
On April 26, 2o24, 25-year-old Carlos Yadiel Baez Nieves was arrested in Orange County, Orlando, Florida, for the deaths of two women.
The bodies of Fatia Flowers, 41, and Nichole Daniels, 44, were discovered by authorities in March and April. On Monday, April 29, 2024, Sheriff John Mina said that Baez Nieves was connected to the killings of Flowers and Daniels.
The Orange County Sheriff disclosed in a press conference that the two women were transients who were offered money for sex by Baez Nieves before killing them. The 25-year-old strangled his victims after intercourse and left them at the side of the road at the same intersection of Trevarthon Road and Harrel Road in East Orange County.
“I’m very confident because of our detectives’ relentless efforts in this case that they stopped Baez Nieves from becoming a prolific serial killer,” Mina said (via Click Orlando). “He targeted women he clearly thought would not be missed.”
The Sheriff confirmed that they were able to catch and arrest Baez Nieves due to him trying to sell the vehicle that Nichole Daniels was last seen entering. Daniels entered a white Ford F-150 at a gas station on North Econlockhatchee Trail just hours before she was discovered murdered.
Authorities confirmed that Baez Nieves had confessed to the murders of Fatia Flowers and Nichole Daniels and is being held without bond at the Orange County Jail. Watch Sheriff John Mina’s public address here via the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (@OrangeCoSheriff):
Sheriff Mina updates the community on a significant case
Sheriff Mina updates the community on a significant case https://t.co/VRrbPRjLRT
— Orange County Sheriff’s Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) April 29, 2024
The location of the bodies is 20 minutes from Universal Orlando Resort, just under 30 minutes from Walt Disney World Resort, and a short distance from Orlando International Airport (MCO), where many travelers enter the Sunshine State.
This is not the only horrific case reported in the areas surrounding the family-friendly theme parks. In 2021, an undercover sting operation resulted in 17 men being arrested as they attempted to make indecent contact with children online; three of these were Disney cast members.
Related: Third Disney Cast Member Caught With Child Pornography, Criminal Ring Suspected
Later, in June 2023, Disney World cast member Paul Viel, 40, was arrested in a child sexual abuse material case. The Davenport local worked at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe in Magic Kingdom Park before his arrest.
“Why do people like Paul Viel work at Disney?” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd asked at the June 2023 press conference. “Because that’s where the children are, and they want to be around children.”
Related: Man Arrested at Magic Kingdom After Crime Spree Involving Teenager
On both coasts, California and Florida’s respective Orange Counties are home to the Happiest and Most Magical Places on Earth. The Disney park experience is colloquially called the Disney bubble due to guests entering the realm of magic and fantasy to escape the real world for days or weeks at a time.
However, the world still turns outside of the parks where these horrific crimes take place.
Inside the Magic will continue to update this story.