Police in California have made public a video that captures the last moments of teenager Marissa DiNapoli as she departed from her ex-boyfriend’s home in the Morgan Hill area before her death.
As earlier covered by CrimeOnline, authorities have arrested Martin Mendoza Jr., 20, on charges of possibly murdering 18-year-old DiNapoli, his former girlfriend. Mendoza was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals in Calexico, California, while trying to re-enter the U.S. from Mexico.
Action News 8 provided footage showing Mendoza Jr. and DiNapoli leaving his home on June 29 at 9:45 a.m. The following day, people saw Mendoza leaving the residence with a plastic bag, which coincided with the police receiving a report about DiNapoli’s disappearance.
Two days later, searchers utilizing a drone spotted DiNapoli’s body at Anderson Lake County Park, hidden under a bridge.
The coroner’s office has yet to release DiNapoli’s cause of death, and police have not determined a motive. DiNapoli, however, reportedly told loved ones that Mendoza, said to be her former boyfriend who she reconnected with as friends in May, had threatened her and made her feel unsafe.
“Marissa has told me, firsthand in the car with my friends outside my house, that he would kill her, that he would not stop, that he’s obsessed with her, that he’s crazy and that he’s willing to go to that extent,” friend Jaslyn Gutierrez said, NBC Bay Area reports.
Mendoza Jr. is expected to be extradited to Santa Clara County. The district attorney’s office stated that he could face arraignment on a murder charge by Wednesday.
“While Mendoza’s arrest may bring a measure of relief, it does not ease the heartbreak we all continue to feel,” Morgan Hill Police said in a statement. “Marissa was a radiant, compassionate young woman with a future full of promise.”
Anyone with information on the case should contact Detective Kyle Tolentino at (669) 253-4962, or email kyle.tolentino@morganhill.ca.gov. Anonymous tips should be sent to https://www.morgan-hill.ca.gov/FormCenter/Police-14/Morgan-Hill-Crime-Stoppers-88, or by phone at 1-800-222-TIPS.
[Feature Photo: Marissa DiNapoli/Instagram]
