It was a Sunday night and a young couple were sitting together in a car at a park near Los Angeles. What happened next was something straight out of a horror movie – except this was real life. A gunman suddenly opened fire on the couple before pulling 19-year-old Andrea Vazquez from the car. Vazquez’s boyfriend escaped the gunfire but returned to the vehicle to find she had been kidnapped. After an intensive one-day search, the harrowing incident culminated in despair as Vazquez’s body was found in a field and a suspect – who has no known connection to the couple – was arrested for her murder. Heartbroken relatives described Vazquez as a “beautiful person” as they have been left struggling to understand what happened and why. Here’s everything we know so far about her abduction and death: A chilling abduction The horror unfolded just after midnight on Sunday 20 August when Vazquez and her boyfriend were sitting in a car at Penn Park in Whittier, police said. Her boyfriend told police that an armed suspect then approached their vehicle and “fired a weapon in their direction,” police said. Vazquez’s boyfriend fled the scene and when he returned he discovered blood near his car and his girlfriend missing. Vazquez has been kidnapped from the scene. Officers were alerted to a shooting and kidnapping incident located at the “parking stalls area” at 13950 Penn Street in Whittier. In a statement following her kidnapping, police said that Vazquez was last seen wearing a black long-sleeve crop top, khaki pants, and black low-top Converse shoes. “She has a tattoo of ‘Edlyn’ on the back of the neck, Aries constellation on the top of her right hand and a belly button piercing,” the statement read. Vasquez’s sister, Edlyn, with whom she lives in Los Angeles, put out a plea on Facebook for the public’s help in finding her. “My sister was shot and kidnapped at Penn Park,” she wrote. “Her last location shows Moreno Valley. We don’t know her condition. Please I am begging, if anyone has information, or the heart to share this, please please contact me and repost.” Another relative Emily Martinez told Fox News Digital that Vasquez’s phone last pinged in the Moreno Valley area. “We’re scared for her, but I’m hopeful, very hopeful that we’ll find her,” she said. “We just want to know she’s OK.” Tragic discovery Following the horror kidnapping, a huge search was launched to try to find the missing 19-year-old. That search ended in tragedy on Monday 21 August when, at around 11.50pm local time, authorities combing the area of Moreno Valley made a gruesome discovery. Police said that the teen’s body had been found in a vegetation field off Alessandro Boulevard and Merwin Street in Moreno Valley. It is currently unclear how she died or the nature of the scene where her body was found. The investigation remains ongoing but police said that it appears that the attack on Vazquez and her boyfriend was “randomly targeted”. The ‘random’ suspect On Tuesday 22 August, police announced an update on the case as a suspect was taken into custody. Detectives from the Whittier Police Department and the LADA Community Violence Reduction Team arrested Gabriel Esparza, a 20-year-old man and Whittier resident, in connection with the kidnapping and shooting of Vazquez. Mr Esparza was taken into custody at his workplace in the city of Lakewood and booked into the Whittier Police Department jail on charges of murder and kidnapping. He is being held without bail. During his arrest, officers recovered a weapon and Esparza’s White Toyota Tacoma truck – which are believed to have been used at the time of the shooting. “This relentless investigation and yesterday’s arrest were made possible by the dedication and commitment of our investigations division, with the assistance of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Downey Police Department, La Habra Police Department and the LADA Investigations Bureau Community Violence Reduction Team,” police said in a statement. The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office on Wednesday 23 August. Suspect pleads not guilty in first court appearance Gabriel Sean Esparza, the 20-year-old son of a Los Angeles County fire captain, has been charged with multiple felonies including murder, kidnapping and attempted rape of 19-year-old Andrea Vazquez. Mr Esparza entered a not-guilty plea when he made his first court appearance for the brutal slaying on Wednesday afternoon. Prosecutors have formally filed seven charges against the suspect, according to a criminal complaint submitted in Los Angeles Superior Court. These also include attempted murder, kidnapping to commit another crime, assault with intent to commit a felony, and two counts of attempted forcible rape. Tributes pour in Vasquez attended Fullerton College and was a fashion design student as well as an employee at a shopping mall in Cerritos. Ms Martinez told Fox News Digital before her body was found that the 19-year-old had also been working with her sister Edlyn, who is a lash artist. She described Vazquez as the “funniest person ever” and a “beautiful person” who was liked by everyone who met her. Read More Andrea Vazquez – latest: Gabriel Esparza arrested for murder after kidnapping teen on date with boyfriend Andrea Vazquez: California woman shot and kidnapped from boyfriend’s car found dead

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A Texas man is accused of kidnapping his wife’s lover before beating him to death, wrapping his body in plastic and hiding him in a storage container. Police say that the violence unfolded after Narciso Cruz Banos found out that his wife Francisca Salazar Carrizales was in a relationship with 32-year-old Francisco Antonio Serrano Romero. Investigators say that the victim was found with his arms bound by a belt and that he had been struck and killed with “a blunt object.” The Harris County Sheriff’s Office says that deputies found the body in a “detached structure” at a property in the city of Tomball after the victim’s wife reported him missing. She raised the alarm after speaking to her husband who sounded injured and told her he was going to stay the night at the house of his boss. Officials say that when she called Mr Banos, he told of the alleged affair and said he had pistol-whipped the victim. “Deputies located a detached structure on the property and found what appeared to be a human body, wrapped in plastic, secured with tape, inside the structure,” authorities stated. Mr Banos, who has lived in the Houston area for 30 years, was booked on Sunday on charges of murder, aggravated kidnapping, and tampering with evidence, namely a human corpse. Francisca Carrizales was also charged with tampering with a human corpse and was booked into the Harris County Jail. Neither Mr Banos nor Ms Carrizales, who have two children together, is a US citizen. A $600,000 bond was set for Mr Banos and a $500,000 bond was set for his wife. He was placed under house arrest and the couple may not have any contact with each other. Read More Oklahoma paediatrician identified as pilot severely injured when plane crashed into power lines Teen missing and several people seriously injured in Lake Austin boat crash Tiffany Gomas: Woman in viral plane rant video shares tearful apology to fellow passengers

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