EXCLUSIVE TO FOX: STOCKTON, Calif. — Authorities in California have apprehended a 28-year-old man in relation to the 2019 disappearance of 17-year-old Victoria Marquina, a high school student from Sutter Creek.
Joshua Martinez, initially considered a suspect but released due to insufficient evidence, is now in custody without bail at the San Joaquin County Jail, as confirmed by the county district attorney’s office.
Official records indicate that Martinez was taken into custody on Friday on charges of murder, statutory rape, and additional allegations related to child sexual offenses.
Victoria was declared missing in October 2019, and she has not been seen since then.
Victoria Marquina, a teenager from Sutter Creek, California, vanished in October 2019. On Friday, law enforcement in San Joaquin County charged a man with murder and other offenses. (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)
Despite her residence in Amador County, the last signal from her phone was detected in San Joaquin County on October 9 of that year.
That’s also the last day she was seen — with Martinez in Livingston, according to a missing person flyer.
Four days later, police found her abandoned car in Escalon, about 90 miles east of San Francisco and more than 50 miles from her home.
Victoria Marquina, a 17-year-old from Sutter Creek, California, was last seen in October 2019. Authorities in San Joaquin County arrested a man who had been a suspect shortly after her disappearance but was initially released due to a lack of evidence. (San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office)
Martinez fled to Mexico after her disappearance, CBS 13 reported at the time. He allegedly told police he had dropped her off in Sutter Creek before leaving.
According to the station, he said he’d met her on a dating app and claimed she lied about her age when he was released from custody in 2020.
Jurisdiction over the case was later transferred from Amador County to San Joaquin County based on the location of her abandoned vehicle and other evidence.
Victoria Marquina, left, was last seen in October 2019. Authorities arrested but later released Joshua Martinez, right, citing a lack of evidence. Authorities said they planned to release a major update on the case Monday. (San Joaquin County District Attorney, Amador County Sheriff’s Office)
It was not immediately clear whether Martinez had a lawyer Monday morning. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.
Friends and family raised $60,000 in reward money as authorities believed the case was going cold.
Martinez is due in court at 1:30 p.m. PT.
San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas will hold a news conference afterward with officials from Amador County and the U.S. Marshals Service afterward.
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