A 35-year-old man reportedly in the U.S. illegally has been charged with murdering a missing 19-year-old woman whose body was discovered this week off Route 50 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.
Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, of Bowie, Maryland, was arrested Thursday in connection with the death of Dacara (Da’Cara) Thompson, according to the Prince George’s County Police Department.
Hernandez-Mendez is an illegal immigrant, and had a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer issued on Thursday, according to Fox News.
However, when asked about Hernandez-Mendez’s immigration status, Prince George’s County Police told Fox News Digital that the department was not releasing that information.
WJLA-TV also reported that U.S. Park Police arrested Hernandez-Mendez for DWI in April, but he was released pending a court appearance — a release that may now spark renewed scrutiny.
Thompson was reported missing on August 23. Just days later, her body was discovered Sunday, dumped in a grassy area near a highway. Police now believe she was murdered inside a bedroom in Hernandez-Mendez’s home before being discarded.
“Detectives executed a search warrant on the home Thursday and uncovered evidence that suggested Thompson had been killed in the bedroom of the home,” police said.
Hernandez-Mendez lived at the residence in Bowie and was seen driving the same black SUV that security footage showed Thompson entering in the early hours of August 23.
“Investigators combed through security footage that showed Thompson had approached a black sport utility vehicle (SUV) in the early hours of Aug. 23. She was seen speaking to the driver, according to police, before entering the vehicle. The driver then drove to a home in Bowie.”
Police say it’s unclear if Hernandez-Mendez and Thompson knew each other prior to the day she went missing. The exact cause of death has yet to be confirmed, but based on collected evidence, police say it will likely be ruled a homicide.
Hernandez-Mendez was charged with first- and second-degree murder in Thompson’s death.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore responded Friday with a statement honoring Thompson’s life and expressing outrage over her senseless killing.
“Our entire state mourns the horrible loss of Da’Cara Thompson, who was taken from us by an act of senseless violence,” the governor said.
Thompson was remembered as a “bright light” who was “committed to public service,” and Moore vowed to use “every tool at our disposal” to hold those responsible accountable.
Hernandez-Mendez is currently being held without bond by the Maryland Department of Corrections as the investigation remains ongoing.
The brutal killing of a young woman with a promising future — allegedly at the hands of someone who should not have been in the country, according to ICE records — is already igniting calls for tougher immigration enforcement and deeper scrutiny of how repeat offenders are handled by the legal system.
