(Whittier Police Department )
A missing California teen has been found dead following a violent kidnapping, police said.
The remains of 19-year-old Andrea Vazquez were found in a vegetation field in Moreno Valley.
Vazquez had been kidnapped over the weekend during an attack that the Whittier Police Department previously described as random. Detectives combing the area of Moreno Valley made the gruesome discovery on Monday night.
“At this time, it appears that Andrea Vazquez and her male companion were randomly targeted by the suspect at Penn Park,” police said in a statement.
Gabriel Sean Esparza, 20, has been arrested in connection with the crime. Mr Esparza is facing charges of murder and kidnapping and is currently being held without bail.
Authorities said that Vazquez was shot at the parking stall area of Penn Park as she was sitting in a parked car with her boyfriend, who fled the gunfire.
When he returned to the vehicle, he “discovered blood” near it and Ms Vazquez was gone.
Family mourns senseless act that cut Andrea Vazquez’s life short
“We’ve been here praying with my aunt and my uncle,” a cousin of Vazquez told FOX11 on Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, we were notified of Andrea being found. We are devastated. My uncle and my aunt are heartbroken. We have good strong family support so we are just here trying to process this, it’s hard. She was our baby cousin, just 19 years old. Such a senseless act, it shouldn’t have happened”
Andrea Blanco23 August 2023 01:00
WATCH: Andrea Vazquez’s issued desperate pleas before tragic developments on Tuesday
Andrea Vazquez’s issued desperate pleas before tragic developments on Tuesday
Andrea Blanco23 August 2023 00:19
Andrea Vasquez was yanked out of a car and shot, police say
Officials say that the body was found late on Monday night and that the victim’s family were informed on Tuesday morning.
“This is not the outcome they wanted, but they do realize Whittier Police worked around the clock,” said Moses Castillo, a former LAPD detective and advocate for the family. “Their pain and grief is beyond description.”
The victim was shot and kidnapped from Penn Park in Whittier after she had been sat in a parked car with her boyfriend.
Investigators say that the boyfriend fled the gunfire and when he returned to the vehicle he “discovered blood” near it and Ms Vasquez had gone.
Andrea Blanco22 August 2023 23:50
Arrest made in ‘random killing’ of California teen
The body of 19-year-old Andrea Vasquez, 19, was discovered in an open field in Moreno Valley, not far from where her family say her phone last pinged.
Whitter Police Department say that they have arrested 20-year-old Gabriel Esparza as the main suspect in the case and charged him with murder and kidnapping.
Police said Mr Esparza, a Whittier resident, was arrested at his job Monday in the city of Lakewood. He has since been booked into the Whittier Police Department and is being held without bail.
Andrea Blanco22 August 2023 23:29