Bride Stabbed To Death In Wedding Dress

A manhunt has been launched for a groom who is thought to have stabbed to death his young bride in her wedding dress.

Estrella Carrera's body was found in a bathtub just hours after their marriage, still clothed in a short, silver sequin cocktail dress.

Detectives in Chicago say they are hunting Arnoldo Jimenez for the first-degree murder of the 26-year-old shortly after they celebrated with friends in the suburb of Burbank.

"It was a very brutal killing," said Capt Joseph Ford, of Burbank Police. "We do our jobs every day, of course. But something like this really motivates you to work even harder."

Ms Carrera was wearing the cocktail dress at the reception and Capt Ford said it is possible that Ms Carrera was also married in the shimmering dress in which she was killed.

After they were married on Friday afternoon at Chicago's City Hall, the couple had dinner with friends at a restaurant, then headed to a nightclub in a party limousine.

They were last seen at 4am on Saturday. Ms Carrera's body was found in her Burbank flat the following day.

Jimenez, 30, was last known to be driving a 2006 black Maserati. Police say he had a day's start to leave the metropolitan area or even the state.

Ms Carrera, a mother of two small children, told nearly no one about her plans to get married, inviting only a few friends, without telling them what she was celebrating, her relatives said.

Her body was found after family members became worried they had not heard from her and called police.

Capt Ford said some of those familiar with the couple said there had been incidents of violence during their two years of dating - but added that authorities had not found any records indicating Ms Carrera ever filed a complaint against Jimenez.

"And we have no indications the two were arguing at any time during the (Friday and early Saturday) celebration," he said.