A man was arrested late Saturday on suspicion of kidnapping and murdering his 33-year-old ex-girlfriend, a San Diego woman who had been reported missing four days earlier, San Diego police said.
The woman’s ex-boyfriend, Eduardo Magana, 48, was detained during a traffic stop in the city of South Gate in Los Angeles County, where San Diego detectives had gone to find him, homicide Lt. Arturo Swadener said in a news release. Magana lives in La Puente, which is about 25 miles from South Gate.
Detectives interviewed Magana and booked him into jail, where he’s being held without bail on charges of murder and kidnapping. He is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Chula Vista, according to online jail records.
One of the victim’s friends called San Diego police on Tuesday to report she was missing, Swadener said Sunday.
The case was first turned over to the department’s Missing Persons Unit and during its investigation, detectives “gathered facts” that led them to believe the woman had been killed, Swadener said.
Homicide detectives took over the case and “developed further information” that led them to believe Magana was involved in her disappearance, Swadener said.
The victim’s body had not been found as of Sunday, the lieutenant said. He declined to disclose how detectives believe she died.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.