Missing California woman found murdered, suspect arrested
WHITTIER, Calif. (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - A small memorial grew at a park in Whittier after word spread that the young woman shot, and then kidnapped, didn’t survive.
"it’s a terrible day for me...I had a lot of hope to find her alive," said Ana Vasquez, mother of murdered woman.
It was heartbreaking news for the Vasquez family. After two days of searching for their teenage daughter, she was found dead.
"I was hoping God gave me a miracle...It doesn’t happen. She was only 19," Vasquez spoke.
Saddest day
After word spread, the family's home in Downey, California was filled with prayer and tears as friends and neighbors showed up with support, and dozens of people showed up to a vigil in Whittier, at the park where Andrea Vasquez first disappeared.
"That was the saddest day of my life," said Enrique Vasquez, Andrea's father.
Andrea Vasquez was a college student with dreams of being a designer. She was with her boyfriend early Sunday morning at this park in Whittier when someone opened fire on their car.
Andrea was shot, but family members say when her boyfriend went to find help, the young woman disappeared. Police say she was kidnapped by the shooter.
"Why my daughter? Why her? That’s why I say, 'Why her?' She [didn't] do nothing to nobody," Vasquez remarked.
A family forever changed
Family members located her phone later that night in Moreno Valley, and police started searching, but almost 48 hours after the shooting, her body was found in nearby field.
"My biggest fear is to know where she is. Now I know, and it’s giving me a little peace in my heart," Vasquez expressed.
Also bringing this family peace was an arrest. The Whittier Police Department arrested Gabriel Esparza Monday afternoon, and believe they recovered the weapon used on the shooting. Police say the 20-year-old has no connection Vasquez, her family, or her boyfriend.
"I don’t know the reason he did this to my daughter cause he’s only 20-years-old [and] my daughter's 19. It’s about the same age," Enrique shared.
A seemingly random crime with a certain pain for a family forever changed.
"She is an angel...Not because she’s my daughter, she is an angel," Enrique remarked.
Esparza is currently being held at the Whittier Jail for kidnapping and murder. The case will head the district attorney on Wednesday. No bail has been set.
