TLDR
Police in Charlotte, North Carolina, say a welfare check at an east Charlotte apartment led to the discovery of a woman dead in a closet, a murder charge against her girlfriend, and an ICE detainer that could draw federal attention to the case.
What began as a routine welfare check in an east Charlotte apartment ended with homicide detectives, crime scene tape, and questions about immigration enforcement. Within days, 23-year-old Lhis Birito Costa was in jail, accused of killing her girlfriend and concealing the body. Now, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and federal officials are all positioned to play a role in what happens next.
According to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police and local court records, Costa is charged with murder in the death of 26-year-old Evelin Carolina Enamorado-Cisnado, whose body officers found inside a closet in the apartment. Reporting by Fox News and WCNC Charlotte outlines an unfolding case that now spans criminal and immigration systems.
From Welfare Check to Homicide Charge
In accounts described by Fox News and WCNC Charlotte, a DoorDash driver arrived at the apartment and was reportedly told that someone inside the home was dead. That report prompted the welfare check, during which officers say they found Enamorado-Cisnado’s body hidden in a closet, behind a door, and covered with towels, and already beginning to decompose.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police later located Costa and took her to the department’s Law Enforcement Center for questioning. After that interview, according to the outlets’ reporting, she was transferred to the Mecklenburg County jail and charged with murder. At an initial court appearance, a judge ordered that Costa be held without bond while the case moves forward; publicly available reports do not indicate that she has entered a plea.
Alleged Jealousy Motive in Court Documents
Court documents obtained by WCNC Charlotte, and summarized by Fox News, state that Costa and Enamorado-Cisnado had been in a romantic relationship. Those documents say Costa told investigators she shot Enamorado-Cisnado after learning the victim was involved with someone else, a statement that, at this stage, remains an allegation within investigative records rather than a tested fact in court.
Neither outlet has published a full narrative of physical evidence, such as any recovered weapon, ballistic findings, or detailed timeline between the alleged shooting and the welfare check. As the case progresses into formal discovery, prosecutors will be required to share investigative materials with the defense, which in turn can challenge the admissibility and reliability of any statements Costa is alleged to have made.
ICE Detainer and Local Custody
Fox News reports that the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Costa remains in custody at the county jail and that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed a detainer on her case. An ICE detainer is a civil request for local authorities to notify federal immigration officials before a person is released, and in some instances to hold that person for a limited period, but it is not itself a criminal charge.
Fox News characterized Costa as an undocumented immigrant and reported that ICE had been asked for additional comment. As of the available reporting from Fox News and WCNC Charlotte, federal authorities have not publicly detailed Costa’s country of origin, length of time in the United States, or prior immigration history. Her criminal case in Mecklenburg County will proceed under state law, while any future immigration actions would be handled separately at the federal level.
For now, Costa remains jailed without bond and legally presumed innocent of the murder charge while the case moves through the local courts. The eventual record, including what was found in the apartment closet and what investigators say Costa told them, will shape whether the case ends in a plea agreement, a trial, or a different outcome, and how immigration authorities respond once the criminal proceedings conclude.
