Man charged with strangling Schaumburg woman

A man charged with strangling a 33-year-old woman in northwest suburban Schaumburg waived extradition Thursday in Florida and will be brought back to Illinois to stand trial.

Bulmaro Mejia-Maya, 29, faces charges of first degree murder, aggravated criminal sexual assault and home invasion in connection with the strangling death of Tiffany Thrasher, Schaumburg police announced Thursday.

Officers went to Thrasher’s apartment Sunday in the 2600 block of Clipper Drive to check on the woman after she failed to show up at church, and found her body inside, police said.

An autopsy Monday found she sided of strangulation and her death was ruled a homicide, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Police believe Thrasher was strangled and possibly sexually assaulted between 8 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday. Detectives said they believe Mejia-Maya entered Thrasher’s apartment through a ground floor window which was unlocked.

Mejia-Maya appeared at an extradition hearing Thursday at the John E. Goodde Pre-Trial Detention facility in Jacksonville, Florida, where he waived extradition, police said.

He will be brought back to Cook County before May 4, police said.