MIAMI – A Miami woman is facing burglary charges after police say she and a teenage accomplice, believed to be her child, broke into an apartment and stole a jar of cash and other items last November, according to the Miami Police Department.
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Miami police said that the break-in happened on Nov. 13, 2024, near the 1000 block of Northwest Second Street in the Little Havana neighborhood.
According to an arrest report, the victim, who had been in an on-and-off relationship with 39-year-old Linda Maria Palacio for 10 years, kept a jar with $1,300 in cash in plain sight.
Police said the man and Palacio had been meeting at the apartment for sexual encounters.
On the day of the incident, authorities said the front door was forced open, and the jar of cash, along with a $200 carton of cigarettes, was reported stolen.
Police said surveillance footage played a key role in the investigation.
A Ring camera outside the apartment captured a masked woman, who police identified as Palacio, and a younger accomplice, estimated to be between 13 and 15 years old, approaching the door and covering the camera.
Inside the apartment, authorities said another camera recorded the teenager forcing the door open and allowing the pair to enter.
Ring camera footage showed Palacio pointing to the jar of cash, which the teenager — whose face was partially obscured by a towel — then took, authorities said.
The victim later provided Palacio’s phone number and a photo of her to police, according to an arrest report.
Further investigation revealed that Palacio has four children enrolled in Miami-Dade County schools, and at least one matched the age and appearance of the teenager seen in the Ring camera footage, investigators said.
Palacio and her child were taken into custody on Tuesday, though her arrest report does not name her son as a co-defendant.
During questioning, police said Palacio reportedly became loud and stopped cooperating after being shown the video evidence.
Authorities noted that the teenager made a statement during the investigation, but details were redacted in the publicly-released report.
Jail records show Palacio is facing one count each of burglary of an occupied dwelling, third-degree grand theft and contributing to the delinquency and dependency of a child to commit a crime.
As of Wednesday, she is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where her bond was listed as “to be set.”