Nearly seven years after a pregnant teenager went missing from her hometown in California, her former boyfriend has been arrested for her murder.
This week, a grand jury charged Joshua Anthony Martinez with murder and minor sex crimes related to the 2019 disappearance of 17-year-old Victoria Marquina, as announced by the Amador County District Attorney’s Office in a press release.
Victoria’s body has never been recovered.
Martinez, aged 28, was initially suspected in the case but was released due to insufficient evidence. He had a brief relationship with Marquina before she vanished, according to San Joaquin District Attorney Ron Freitas.
“They had met just about a month before her disappearance and she became pregnant,” Freitas explained. “It was a whirlwind, very fast relationship and very short.”
Marquina, originally from Amador County, was last seen with Martinez in Livingston on October 9, 2019, as indicated on a missing person’s flyer.
Four days later, authorities found her abandoned vehicle in Escalon, over 50 miles from her home, according to Fox News.
Martinez fled to Mexico shortly after Marquina disappeared. He was later extradited to the United States, where he informed California authorities that he had left the missing teen in Sutter Creek before his departure, the outlet reported.
Before being released from custody in 2020, Martinez claimed to investigators that he had met Marquina on a dating app, where she allegedly lied about her age.
Despite the case growing cold, Marquina’s family remained hopeful, raising $60,000 as a reward for information about her whereabouts, as reported by Fox News.
Even though Freitas stated on Monday that “Victoria is dead and we are looking for her remains and the remains of her unborn child,” her hopeful mother believes she might still be alive.
“She had many dreams. Many dreams. Unfortunately, someone cut us off. But I still have faith, I still have hope that she will return home,” Blanca Valencia told CBS News Sacramento.
“If you know something, if you heard something, if you know where my daughter is, please communicate,” the desperate mother appealed.
Martinez, who could face life imprisonment if convicted of first-degree murder, is scheduled to appear in court on April 6.
His defense attorney could not be reached for comment.
