Abigail “Abby” Saldaña was only 22 years old when her life was cut short on a Texas highway. A young single mother, Abby had been working to build a stable future for herself and her 5-year-old son. She had moved from Wichita Falls to the Dallas area, worked multiple jobs, and was proud of the independence she was creating for her family.
But in the weeks before her death, Abby began to feel that someone was watching her.
What initially seemed like a frightening discovery involving a tracking device would later become a key part of a murder investigation.
A Young Mother Building a Life
Abby was originally from Wichita Falls, Texas, but had moved to the Dallas area several years before her death. According to her family, she was hardworking and determined to provide for her young son.
She worked in the service industry and also had experience as a brow stylist. Her mother, Jessica Contreras, described Abby as her only daughter and remembered her as a bright, loving and hardworking young woman.
Abby was also trying to become financially independent. Her mother said that she had recently paid off her car and was happy that she was able to support her son.
But sometime before October 2021, a situation involving a customer began making Abby uncomfortable.
According to investigators and statements from people close to her, a man identified as Stanley Szeliga, a 54-year-old customer at the club where Abby worked, had allegedly developed an unwanted interest in her.
Authorities later said that Szeliga had been stalking and harassing Abby.
The Tracking Device
On October 14, 2021, Abby posted a video on Instagram showing something disturbing she had discovered underneath her vehicle.
It was a tracking device.
In the video, Abby showed viewers the device and expressed disbelief that someone had attached it to her car. She questioned who could have done something like that and warned others to be careful.
The discovery frightened her.
Abby also reportedly told her mother that she believed someone was following her. Her mother urged her to contact police and report what had happened. Abby had also managed to photograph a vehicle she believed was connected to the person following her and obtained its license plate information.
At the time, there was no way for Abby to know how important those details would become.
The tracking device was eventually identified by investigators as part of the homicide investigation.
An Increasingly Troubling Relationship
According to the arrest warrant, Szeliga had allegedly become angry with Abby after claiming that he had given her large amounts of money. Investigators also found social media posts in which he discussed Abby and accused her of prostitution.
Authorities said he had allegedly threatened to report her to police for prostitution.
The allegations became even more disturbing when investigators began examining the possibility that the tracking device had been used to monitor Abby’s movements.
Police later stated that evidence indicated Szeliga had been following and harassing her before her death.
For Abby, however, these developments were happening in real time.
She was a young woman trying to work, raise her child and live independently while apparently dealing with someone she believed was monitoring her.
Her family knew she was afraid.
Her mother knew something was wrong.
And Abby herself had publicly documented the tracker.
October 26, 2021
On October 26, Abby was driving in Fort Worth.
That evening, shortly after 8:30 p.m., police were called to the area of State Highway 183 and Amon Carter Boulevard after reports of what initially appeared to be a serious traffic accident.
When officers arrived, they found a silver sedan that had left the roadway and stopped in a grassy area.
Inside was Abby.
She had suffered gunshot wounds to her back and right arm. She was pronounced dead at the scene, and authorities ruled her death a homicide.
Investigators found three bullet holes in the vehicle. They also recovered three shell casings and broken glass near the intersection.
Detectives believed Abby had been shot before her car left the roadway.
A witness had reported seeing the vehicle traveling at high speed before suddenly leaving the highway.
What initially looked like a deadly traffic incident was quickly understood to be something far more sinister.
Abby had been shot.
Someone had been following her.
And investigators now had to determine who was responsible.
Investigators Follow the Evidence
As detectives worked to identify Abby and reconstruct her final moments, they discovered information about her employment at Rick’s Cabaret.
A manager told police that Abby had recently complained about being harassed by a customer known as “Stan.” The manager also showed investigators Abby’s Instagram post about finding the tracking device on her vehicle.
That information gave investigators a potential suspect.
Police began looking into Stanley Szeliga.
Investigators learned that he owned a red Ford F-150. According to the arrest affidavit, a license plate reader captured the truck near Abby’s home shortly before the shooting. The truck was reportedly recorded at an intersection at approximately 8:22 p.m., just minutes before the fatal shooting was reported.
Investigators also found that the truck had been captured by license plate readers multiple times in the weeks before Abby’s death.
Those records became another important part of the investigation.
The tracking device.
The reported harassment.
The social media posts.
The vehicle sightings.
And the reported following of Abby immediately before the shooting.
Piece by piece, investigators began building their case.
The Arrest
After identifying Szeliga as a suspect, detectives attempted to speak with him.
According to police, he did not cooperate.
A search warrant was eventually obtained for his residence in Irving. When SWAT officers arrived, police said Szeliga refused to come outside.
Officers ultimately entered the apartment and found him on a balcony with several self-inflicted cuts. He was treated for his injuries before being taken into custody.
Szeliga was arrested on October 28, 2021, and charged with murder.
His bond was set at $250,000 at the time of the initial reports.
The arrest did not erase the grief for Abby’s family.
Her mother was now facing the loss of her only daughter, while Abby’s young son had lost his mother.
A Family Left Behind
For Jessica Contreras, the tragedy was impossible to separate from the warning signs that had appeared beforehand.
Her daughter had told her about the tracking device.
She had been concerned that someone was following her.
She had photographed a vehicle she believed was connected to the stalking.
And her mother had encouraged her to report what was happening.
After Abby’s death, those memories became painful reminders of how frightened her daughter had been.
Contreras publicly described Abby as a strong, hardworking and loving person. She also emphasized the devastating impact her death would have on Abby’s son.
Friends also chose to remember Abby for the happiness she brought into their lives rather than focusing only on the circumstances of her death.
They described her as someone whose smile and personality had a lasting impact on the people around her.
The Questions That Remain
The case surrounding Abby’s death drew attention because of the alleged progression from unwanted attention to stalking, tracking and ultimately murder.
The details investigators uncovered painted a disturbing picture: a young woman discovered a tracking device attached to her vehicle, expressed fear about being followed, and was later killed while driving.
Police said Szeliga had been stalking and harassing Abby and had been following her immediately before the shooting.
For Abby’s family, the most painful question may never be answered: how different might the outcome have been if the warning signs had been recognized and stopped earlier?
Her Instagram post had documented her fear.
Her family knew she was worried.
Investigators later found evidence that the tracking device was connected to the case.
But by then, it was too late.
Abigail Saldaña was 22 years old.
She was a daughter.
She was a mother.
She was a young woman trying to create a better future for her child.
Her story is now remembered not simply because of the crime that ended her life, but because of the warning signs that appeared before it.
The case also serves as a sobering reminder that stalking and unwanted surveillance should never be dismissed as harmless behavior. A tracking device hidden on someone’s vehicle can represent a serious invasion of privacy and a potential warning of escalating danger.
Abby’s final days began with a frightening discovery beneath her car.
Twelve days later, she was dead.
And behind the investigation was a trail of allegations involving stalking, harassment, tracking and threats that authorities would ultimately examine in connection with her killing.
Her family was left to grieve, her son was left without his mother, and the case became a painful example of how quickly persistent unwanted attention can escalate into something far more dangerous.
Abby’s mother had wanted her daughter to be safe.
Instead, she was forced to fight for justice after losing her child.
And the story of Abigail Saldaña remains a tragic reminder that sometimes the warning signs appear long before the final tragedy—but recognizing them and stopping the danger in time can be the hardest part.
