Central Coast woman found dead in San Diego. Now her husband is suspected of homicide
The husband of a missing Guadalupe woman found dead in a vehicle in San Diego has been identified as the suspect and may have fled to Mexico.
Leyva Elizabeth Oregel Garcia, 32, of Guadalupe died in what San Diego police have called a homicide.
German Armando Luna Salazar, 44, has been named as the suspect sought in connection with the death.
Just before 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, a caller alerted San Diego Police Department dispatchers about what appeared to be a body inside a vehicle parked in a lot on the 4400 block of Camino De La Plaza in the San Ysidro neighborhood of San Diego.
The unusual circumstances surrounding the death of the woman prompted police homicide detectives to lead the investigation.
“It is still early in the investigation, but detectives have worked with the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office, who confirmed the female suffered blunt force trauma to her upper body and confirmed her death was a homicide,” Lt. Steve Shebloski said Thursday.
On Sunday, family members had reported the Guadalupe woman as missing after she left with the man they called her ex-husband to clean offices in Paso Robles on Saturday afternoon and never returned home.
“Detectives have learned this appears to be a tragic case of domestic violence in which Oregel Garcia’s husband, German Armando Luna Salazar, has been identified as the suspect,” Shebloski said. “He was last seen leaving the area of 4400 Camino De La Plaza on foot and possibly entered Mexico.”
Family members said the woman’s cellphone was tracked to the Madera area on Sunday.
Her family initially identified her as Leyva Elizabeth Oregel and him as German Armando Luna.
Oregel Garcia has two daughters ages 14 and 7, family members said.
San Diego homicide detectives are working with investigators from the Guadalupe Police Department and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office to determine the circumstances surrounding her disappearance from Guadalupe, and how she ended up in San Diego.
San Diego police asked that anyone who may have information on this case or who knows the suspect’s whereabouts call the Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
This story was originally published July 7, 2023 at 11:01 AM.