Erika Jisela Miranda-Alvarez is accused of kidnapping Flores' 6-week-old child. She has also been charged with capital murder in Flores' death.
"I don't think she has any mental issues," Jenny Lopez said. "I just think she really wanted a baby because she lost her baby, she just really wanted a baby."
Lopez and Flores shared an apartment when she moved to Houston from Honduras.
"Carolina was a good woman," Lopez added. "(She) came from a struggle, came from the poor. Wanted to be something, wanted to be someone."
RELATED: Woman accused of stealing baby to cover up miscarriage, police say
Woman accused of stealing baby to cover up miscarriage
Police say Alvarez was friends with Flores' brother and had been a friend of the family for several years.
Investigators say Alvarez was due to have a baby in January when she suffered a miscarriage.
Shamali Flores: A timeline in the baby's disappearance
Timeline of Shamali Flores' disappearance
Police believe she continued to fake her pregnancy for family members and her boyfriend.
For Flores' family, an arrest is a step in the right direction.
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