The Murder of Annette Marie Valdez
| Full Name | Annette Marie Valdez |
| Age | 37 |
| Children | 3 -- Now in Care of Relatives |
| Location | Westminster, Colorado |
| Case Type | Intimate Partner Homicide |
Annette Marie Valdez
Annette Marie Valdez was 37 years old, a mother of three, and the primary caregiver for her children in Westminster, Colorado. Her family remembered her as a beloved daughter, sister, mother, and friend. Her kindness, laughter, and love touched everyone who knew her. She was a light in her family's lives.
Annette had been in an on-and-off relationship with Thomas Perales for years. They shared children together. Her family tried many times to help her leave him. Her brother Adam Larson told reporters they tried so much to get her away from him and every time she went right back. All she could say was that he was her kids' father.
Annette had protection orders against Perales. She called her mother scared watching him on her Ring camera trying to kick in her door. She did everything she could. The system did not protect her. Her three children are now being raised by relatives.
What We Know
Annette Marie Valdez, 37, and Thomas Perales, 38, had been in an on-and-off relationship for years and shared three children together. Authorities responded to Annette's residence more than 60 times over a two-year period with multiple calls classified as domestic violence incidents. Annette had obtained multiple protection orders against Perales citing threats and physical abuse.
On October 24, 2025, Annette called her mother scared while watching Perales on her Ring doorbell camera as he attempted to pry open her apartment door with a knife and kick it in. He had also smeared her Ring camera and peephole with red paint. When police arrived they found the deadbolt so damaged they believed it was slightly ajar. Perales was arrested nearby carrying a red paint marker and charged with domestic violence, violation of a protection order, criminal mischief and obstructing a peace officer. An Adams County judge sentenced him to 12 months of probation and released him from jail on November 21, 2025.
One week after his release, Annette was last seen alive on November 28, 2025 -- Thanksgiving Day. Her family became concerned when she stopped responding to calls and messages and did not return after Thanksgiving festivities. When relatives went to her apartment they found the door unlocked, her keys on the ground outside, her phone on the bed, and her shoes untouched inside.
On December 4, 2025, a person who had been searching for Annette told police that Perales had told her he had left Annette's body near a creek. Police followed the tip and found a body in a green trash can along the Tanglewood Trail system near Willowbrook Park in Westminster, covered with blankets. The body was identified as Annette Marie Valdez. Multiple witnesses told police they had seen Perales pushing a shopping cart containing what appeared to be a body wrapped in blankets through the area for several days before the discovery.
How It Unfolded
The Investigation
When Annette was reported missing on December 1, Westminster police immediately identified Perales as a person of interest given the extensive documented history of domestic violence. Investigators began trying to locate him but found multiple phone numbers disconnected or unresponsive. Surveillance footage from November 25 showed Perales removing the Ring doorbell camera from outside Annette's apartment.
Tips and witness accounts from the local homeless community told investigators that Perales had been moving through the area pushing a shopping cart containing what appeared to be a wrapped body. Annette's brother Adam Larson confirmed he had also heard this directly from people in the community. On December 4 a person searching for Annette told police that Perales had admitted to her where he had left the body, leading officers to Willowbrook Park.
During his arrest and subsequent interview, Perales admitted to the killing. He claimed he blacked out during an argument and unintentionally strangled her but acknowledged moving her body and keeping it with him for days. The coroner confirmed injuries to Annette's neck area consistent with trauma sustained before her death. Decomposition limited the full preliminary assessment.
The case prompted significant public discussion about the failures of the protection order and probation system. Annette's family told reporters she did not have the resources to feel truly safe. Her sister-in-law Analisa Larson asked what you are supposed to do with a piece of paper when he keeps coming back. Police had been to that residence more than 60 times. The system knew who Thomas Perales was. It was not enough.
The Accused
She Is Not Forgotten
Annette Marie Valdez was 37 years old and a mother of three. She was a beloved daughter, sister, mother, and friend. Her kindness, laughter, and love touched everyone who knew her. She stayed with her abuser because he was the father of her children -- because she was trying to hold her family together. That is not weakness. That is love under impossible pressure.
The system knew about Thomas Perales. Police had been to her door more than 60 times. She had protection orders. She called her mother scared while watching him try to kick in her door with a knife. He was arrested, given probation, and released. One week later she was dead. Her family asked what you are supposed to do with a piece of paper when he keeps coming back. They deserved an answer. They never got one.
Annette's three children are now in the care of relatives. They have to grow up without their mother because the system that was supposed to protect her failed her completely. We will say her name. We will not let this become just another statistic.
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