Police in California discovered a body in a park only three and a half miles from where a missing woman was last seen.
The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office said they discovered a body under a bridge near Anderson Lake County Park, where missing 18-year-old Marissa DiNapoli was last seen, but it was unclear whether it was her.
“Due to the condition of the body, we were unable to make an identification,” Morgan Hill police said. “We will need to wait for the results of the medical examination before we can provide any further information.”
Police told NBC Bay Area that DiNapoli’s family discovered the body. They had been looking for her in various locations throughout the day.
DiNapoli’s family last heard from her via text message on June 28 at 9:16 p.m., when she told them she was staying with a friend for the evening and would return home the next day, according to a Morgan Hill Police Department statement.
DiNapoli was reported missing after failing to return home or respond to family phone calls, according to a police statement.
According to the Morgan Hill Police Department, DiNapoli was last seen on June 29 at 9:45 a.m. with her boyfriend, Martin Mendoza, 21, who is a person of interest in her case. They were seen leaving a home just outside Morgan Hill, where DiNapoli’s car was later found.
According to The Morgan Hill Times, DiNapoli and Mendoza were seen leaving a house on surveillance video on Sunday morning when he asked, “Why would you text your ex?”
Jaslyn Gutierrez, DiNapoli’s best friend, told NBC Bay Area that she was worried about what Mendoza might do to DiNapoli.
“Marissa has told me, firsthand in the car with my friends outside of my house, that he would kill her, that he would not stop, that he is obsessed with her, that he is crazy and that he is willing to go to that extent,” Gutierrez explained to the media.
Friends of DiNapoli told NBC Bay Area that Mendoza frequently took her to Anderson Lake.
Earlier in the day, a family member told the outlet that they had contacted Mendoza. “He tried to say he was not Martin, then said he had not spoken to her in two weeks. But there is a positive video of him being with her on the 29th and leaving with her,” family friend Serina Soque stated.
The investigation is still active and ongoing. Anyone with information should contact Detective Kyle Tolentino at (669) 253-4962 or by email at [email protected].
If you are experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
