Police in Northern California have charged a 28-year-old man with murder in the 2019 disappearance of a pregnant high school student whose body has never been found, authorities announced this week.
Prosecutors say Joshua Martinez was indicted by a San Joaquin County grand jury on four felony counts, including murder, in connection with the disappearance of 16-year-old Victoria Marquina.
Marquina, who was several months pregnant, vanished in October 2019 after leaving her home in Sutter Creek, about 45 miles southeast of Sacramento, according to People.
Martinez was arrested on Mar. 12 and is being held without bail at the San Joaquin County Jail, according to the Amador County District Attorney's Office. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Authorities said Martinez and Marquina had been in a brief, unlawful dating relationship in the weeks before she disappeared. San Joaquin District Attorney Ron Freitas told reporters the pair had been in "a very short relationship" and that Marquina became pregnant during that time.
Investigators allege Marquina was last seen with Martinez in Livingston on Oct. 9, 2019. Her car was found abandoned four days later in Escalon, more than 50 miles from her Amador County home, and her phone was later recovered in San Joaquin County, AOL News reported.
Despite those discoveries, officials say Marquina's remains have never been located. Freitas said at a news conference that investigators believe "Victoria is dead" and that they are searching for her and her unborn child.
Authorities said new information and advancements in technology over the past year helped lead to the murder indictment after an earlier arrest of Martinez in the case did not result in charges. Investigators did not publicly detail the new evidence but said the case remains active.
Prosecutors and Marquina's family are urging anyone with knowledge of where her body may be to contact law enforcement. Martinez is scheduled to return to court on Apr. 6, according to the Amador County District Attorney's Office, as per the Independent.
