The tragic case of 22-year-old Abigail “Abby” Saldaña has reached a somber milestone as investigators finalize the details of the premeditated attack that claimed her life.
Saldaña, a young mother and exotic dancer originally from Wichita Falls, was fatally shot on October 26, 2021, while driving near the intersection of Amon Carter Boulevard and State Highway 183 in Fort Worth.
Her assailant, 54-year-old Stanley Szeliga, was a frequent customer at the club where she worked and had developed a dangerous fixation after Saldaña rejected his attempts to force a personal relationship.
The killing was the culmination of weeks of predatory behavior that Saldaña had documented herself.
Just twelve days before her death, she posted a video to Instagram showing a GPS tracking device she discovered hidden underneath her car, warning other women to "check under your car."
Despite reporting the harassment and the tracker to both her manager and local authorities, the stalking intensified. License plate readers later confirmed that Szeliga’s pickup truck had been seen near Saldaña’s apartment multiple times and was recorded trailing her vehicle just seconds before the fatal shots were fired.
Szeliga’s motives were reportedly rooted in financial entitlement and obsession. According to arrest affidavits, Szeliga had grown enraged after spending thousands of dollars on Saldaña, eventually resorting to social media threats of blackmail and making false reports of prostitution when she refused to see him.
When SWAT teams moved to arrest him at his Irving apartment shortly after the murder, Szeliga engaged in a standoff and inflicted several non-life-threatening wounds upon himself before being taken into custody.
The case has become a focal point for advocates during National Stalking Awareness Month, highlighting the lethal speed at which digital tracking can transition into physical violence.
Saldaña’s mother, Jessica Contreras, has since become a vocal advocate for stalking victims, emphasizing that her daughter did everything right by documenting the tracker and notifying police.
Szeliga remains held on a murder charge as the legal system continues to process a case that remains a harrowing reminder of the gaps in protection for women facing persistent harassment.