SAN DIEGO — San Diego police continue their investigation into the death of a young mother from Santa Barbara County, found inside a vehicle at a San Ysidro shopping mall early Tuesday morning.
CBS 8 spoke to a relative of the victim, who said SDPD detectives traveled to Guadalupe, California to interview relatives regarding the woman's history.
The victim, Leyva Oregel, 33, lived in Guadalupe and was the mother of two daughters, according to her uncle, Jose Mejia.
“It’s a hard loss, especially given the circumstances she was found in,” said Mejia.
Police said a security guard noticed the woman's body inside a black Jeep Cherokee in the mall parking lot, located in the 4400 block of Camino De La Plaza, just after midnight on the morning of July 4.
She had suffered blunt force trauma to her upper body.
Before Oregel's body was found, her family had posted a flier online that included photos of her ex-husband, German Luna.
The uncle said the couple had been married and divorced two times.
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“He was kind of like, ‘You're never gonna leave me. I'd rather see you dead before I see you with anyone else,’” Mejia said.
The couple ran a janitorial business together in Santa Barbara County.
The family’s online flier said the couple was last seen driving away in the Jeep to do office cleaning in Paso Robles, which is about an hour's drive north of Guadalupe.
Since the Jeep was found in San Ysidro, the ex-husband’s whereabouts have been unknown, the uncle said.
“They don't know what he could be driving or anything,” Mejia said.
San Diego police were in Santa Barbara County on Thursday talking to relatives and searching for evidence, according to the uncle.
“They're actually here right now as we speak. They're interviewing us. So, people should be on the lookout. If you spot him, be careful,” Mejia said.
Detectives learned that this appears to be a tragic case of domestic violence in which Oregel Garcia’s husband, German Armando Luna Salazar was been identified as the suspect.
Salazar is described as a 44-year-old Hispanic male. He was last seen leaving the area of 4400 Camino De La Plaza on foot and possibly entered Mexico.
Anyone with information is asked to call San Diego police or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.