Current:Home > InvestMan arrested in kidnapping, death of Andrea Vasquez, 19, in Southern California-LoTradeCoin
Man arrested in kidnapping, death of Andrea Vasquez, 19, in Southern California
View Date:2024-12-24 00:23:13
A man has been arrested after a 19-year-old woman was kidnapped from a park in Southern California and later found dead in a vegetation field.
Police arrested Gabriel Esparza, 20, on Monday afternoon after linking him to the kidnapping of Andrea Vasquez at a park in the Los Angeles suburb of Whittier on Sunday, the Whittier Police Department said in a statement on Facebook.
Vazquez was at the park with a man when a shooter approached their car and fired, the man told police. The man ran away during the shooting and when he returned, Vazquez was gone and there was blood near his car, police say.
Police said that it appears that Vazquez and the man were “randomly targeted” by the shooter.
Police say Esparza was booked on charges of murder and kidnapping. The case was forwarded to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, which ultimately will determine whether to charge Esparza.
Guilty:Ohio teen convicted of murder after crashing car at 100mph
'Massacre:'Police investigate quadruple homicide involving 3 children in Oklahoma City
The district attorney's office did not immediately respond to messages about whether Esparza has been charged.
It's unclear whether Esparza has an attorney.
Police found Andrea Vazquez dead in a vegetation field
Esparza was arrested while he was working in the Los Angeles suburb of Lakewood, police said. He is being held without bail.
Police found Vazquez's body late Monday in a vegetation field in Moreno Valley, about 50 miles from the park where the shooting happened.
Officer Tommy Mattsson, a Whittier police spokesman, declined to say what led police to Esparza or what connected him to the shooting, but told USA TODAY that "detectives pursued several leads during the course of the non-stop investigation, which ultimately led them to arrest the suspect and identify the area of Moreno valley where the body was left."
Police said they they recovered the gun believed to have been used in the shooting in Esparza’s truck.
veryGood! (81362)
Related
- Missing Ole Miss student declared legally dead as trial for man accused in his death looms
- A major Roku layoff is coming. Company will cut 10% of staff, stock spikes as a result
- Prosecutors to seek Hunter Biden indictment from grand jury before Sept. 29, special counsel David Weiss says
- 24 children have died in hot cars nationwide in 2023: 'This is a great tragedy'
- Queen Bey and Yale: The Ivy League university is set to offer a course on Beyoncé and her legacy
- French President Macron: ‘There can’t, obviously, be a Russian flag at the Paris Games’
- Mother allegedly confined 9-year-old to home since 2017, had to 'beg to eat': Police
- Wendy's Frosty gets pumpkin spice treatment. Also new: Pumpkin Spice Frosty Cream Cold Brew
- McDonald's Version: New Bestie Bundle meals celebrate Swiftie friendship bracelets
- Kendra Wilkinson admitted to emergency room for reported panic attack
Ranking
- Trump is likely to name a loyalist as Pentagon chief after tumultuous first term
- Mississippi Democrats name Pinkins as new nominee for secretary of state, to challenge GOP’s Watson
- A major Roku layoff is coming. Company will cut 10% of staff, stock spikes as a result
- Actor Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rape
- Round 2 in the Trump-vs-Mexico matchup looks ominous for Mexico
- New Rules Help to Answer Whether Clean Energy Jobs Will Also Be Good Jobs
- Where Al Pacino and Noor Alfallah Stand After She Files for Physical Custody of Their 3-Month-Old Baby
- Joe Jonas Performs Without His Wedding Ring After Confirming Sophie Turner Divorce
Recommendation
-
Voters in Oakland oust Mayor Sheng Thao just 2 years into her term
-
Bruce Springsteen postpones September shows to treat peptic ulcer disease
-
Louisiana grand jury charges 91-year-old disgraced priest with sexual assault of teenage boy in 1975
-
Ferry captain, 3 crewmates face homicide charges over death of tardy passenger pushed into sea in Greece
-
The Cowboys, claiming to be 'all in' prior to Dak Prescott's injury, are in a rare spot: Irrelevance
-
New Jersey's Ocean City taps AI gun detection in hopes of thwarting mass shootings
-
Prosecutors to seek Hunter Biden indictment from grand jury before Sept. 29, special counsel David Weiss says
-
Oregon man sentenced to death for 1988 murder is free after conviction reversed: A lot of years for something I didn't do