The Delaware State Police have arrested 28-year-old Jesus Palacio-Hernandez for the murder of a family member in Selbyville.
Officials said on February 2, 2026, at approximately 8:30 a.m., troopers responded to a residence on the 37000 block of Pinto Drive in Selbyville after a 71-year-old female was found deceased in a ditch behind the property.
Upon arrival, troopers learned that following a concerning phone conversation with Palacio-Hernandez, a family member was unable to locate the victim and contacted 9-1-1. While troopers were responding to the scene, family members found the victim in a ditch behind the residence, where she was confirmed deceased by Emergency Medical Services. Palacio-Hernandez was located in the Selbyville area and taken into custody without incident following a traffic stop.
Due to the nature of the incident, the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit assumed the investigation. The preliminary investigation showed that during the overnight hours, Palacio-Hernandez had an altercation with the victim, Liudmyla Levchenko of Shelbyville, inside the residence. He physically assaulted the victim and then moved her body to a ditch, where she was later found, according to police. Levchenko is Palacio-Hernandez mother-in-law.
Palacio-Hernandez was taken to Troop 4, where he was charged with Murder First Degree. He was arraigned by the Justice of the Peace Court 11 and committed to the Sussex Correctional Institution on a $1,000,000 cash bond.