Las Vegas Authorities Launch Manhunt Following Fatal Shooting of Woman and Toddler in Southern Highlands

Las Vegas authorities are searching for a shooter after a woman and a toddler were killed in a car near Southern Highlands on Monday night.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 4, 2026, 3:59 AM EST

Source: The information in this article was sourced from KVVU FOX5

Violence Interrupts a Quiet Residential Corridor

The Southern Highlands community in Las Vegas has been thrust into a state of alarm following a double homicide that claimed the lives of a woman and a small child. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers were dispatched to the vicinity of Star Avenue and Dean Martin Drive late Monday evening after receiving reports of multiple gunshots. Upon arrival, emergency responders discovered the two victims unresponsive inside a vehicle. Despite the rapid arrival of paramedics and fire crews, both the woman and the toddler were pronounced dead at the scene, marking a grim escalation of local violent crime.

A Search for Evidence in the Early Hours

The investigation remained highly active throughout the night, with forensic teams and detectives cordoning off a large perimeter that stayed under police control until Tuesday morning. Neighbors reported a massive law enforcement presence, noting that the area was saturated with emergency vehicles and investigative tape as technicians processed the vehicle and the surrounding roadway. Surveillance footage recovered from the area captured a separate vehicle traveling at high speeds shortly after the estimated time of the shooting, providing a potential lead for detectives currently working to identify the perpetrator.

Victims Targeted During Routine Transit

According to family members of the deceased woman, she had spent the evening babysitting the friend’s toddler and was in the process of driving the child home to Northeast Las Vegas. The group had departed from a residence in Southern Highlands in two separate vehicles. The victims’ car reportedly came to a stop on Victoria Medici Street after a trailing vehicle, occupied by their friends, was pulled over by police for an unrelated matter. It was during this stationary moment that an unidentified shooter opened fire on the woman's car, shattering windows and inflicting the fatal wounds.