A Florida landscaper has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder after authorities said he attempted to mislead friends and family by claiming his girlfriend had been taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement before her body was found in a Miami canal, as reported by The New York Post.
According to a police report obtained by WPLG, 40-year-old Mexican native Saul Garcia Gonzalez is accused of fatally shooting 37-year-old Nerida Martel in the head and disposing of her body in a canal near their home last month.
🚨Miami-Dade Woman Found Dead in Canal; Boyfriend Now Charged with Murder
The case of 37-year-old Nerida Martel, who was reported missing last month, has turned into a homicide investigation after her body was found in a Miami-Dade canal. Authorities have now charged her… pic.twitter.com/Gn7u0cIASq
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Investigators said Gonzalez claimed Martel had disappeared because she was “possibly in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” attempting to reassure those who were searching for her.
The report said Gonzalez made the claim after realizing that Martel’s family and friends would be concerned about her sudden disappearance.
However, when her name did not appear in ICE custody records, friends encouraged him to file a missing-person report.
Gonzalez did so on October 9, three days after he told others he had last seen Martel when she dropped their two-year-old daughter off at daycare.
Two days after the missing-person report was filed, Martel’s body was located in a canal close to the residence she shared with Gonzalez. Police said she had been killed by a gunshot wound to the head.
Detectives investigating the case noted several inconsistencies in Gonzalez’s statements.
According to the report, investigators learned that Martel had recently contacted a friend seeking a place to stay “for only her and her daughter,” and relatives told police that Gonzalez had a history of being verbally abusive.
Phone records later placed Gonzalez near the canal around the time Martel disappeared, authorities said.
Gonzalez was arrested on Wednesday and charged with second-degree murder. He was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Thursday and is being held without bond.
Police did not offer additional details about why Gonzalez claimed his girlfriend had been detained by ICE or whether Martel had any immigration-related issues.
Authorities have not released further information regarding a possible motive. The Miami-Dade Police Department continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding Martel’s death.
