Whittier teen Andrea Vazquez – who was abducted following a gunshot – has been found dead and Gabriel Esparza arrested for her ‘kidnapping and murder’.
A Southern California family has been left heartbroken and desperate for answers after 19-year-old Andrea Vazquez was allegedly kidnapped over the weekend.
Police have said the teen was kidnapped in a Whittier park parking lot on Sunday just after midnight when she stepped out with her boyfriend.
A new development has it that she has been found but dead. Police reportedly found Andrea’s body in a vegetation field after a day-long search.
A 20-year-old man named Gabriel Esparza is being held without bail for the alleged murder and kidnapping of Andrea Vazquez after her body was recovered in Riverside, police told Fox11.
Below are more about the victim and her alleged murderer.
Who was Andrea Vazquez?
Missing teen Andrea Vazquez was studying while working a job.
Vazquez, a resident of Los Angeles County, was studying fashion design at Fullerton College and works at a store at Cerritos mall.
Andrea Vazquez was described as a Hispanic woman, 5’-3”, 103 lbs., with brownish-red hair and brown eyes.
The 19-year-old was allegedly shot and kidnapped leading cops to launch their hunt.
Andrea was said to be wearing a black long-sleeve crop top with khaki pants and black low-top Converse sneakers.
The missing teen had several tattoos, police report, including one on the back of her neck that reads “Edlyn” and one of an Aries constellation on her right hand.
She also had a belly button piercing.
What happened to Andrea Vazquez?
Police were called to Penn Park parking stalls soon after midnight on Sunday after a man (Andrea Vazquez’s boyfriend) said that an armed suspect approached his car, which was inhabited by him and a female passenger, and fired rounds in their direction, according to Whittier police.
According to family members, Vazquez was in a parked car at the curb with her boyfriend when another vehicle drew up and fired a shot, wounding Andrea.
Her boyfriend reportedly ran from the gunfire and later returned to find blood near his vehicle – and Andrea was nowhere to be found.
They say the boyfriend then sought assistance from another couple in the park.
When he returned, he saw that Vazquez had gone missing and that there was blood on the floor, according to investigators.
Her sister claimed she tracked Vazquez’s phone down to a field near the 10 Freeway in Moreno Valley early Sunday.
She claimed to have discovered more blood at the spot, but no phone or evidence of her sister.
Andrea’s sister speaks out
Andrea Vazquez’s sister recalled the moments that led to her kidnapping.
Edlyn Vazquez told ABC News: “As [her boyfriend] turned his back to ask for help, in that moment, my sister was kidnapped. I tracked [her] to … going down the 60.
“I started following it and the location stopped in Moreno Valley, and that’s the last known location that I have of her. It was just really wet and rain … I know that they were searching Penn Park.”
Prior to her recall, Edlyn took to social media (X, formally known as Twitter) in bid to find Andrea Vazquez. She called on public support in finding the missing teen.
She wrote: “Please help me find my little sister. She was shot and kidnapped. Please repost and don’t stop sharing.”
What did Andrea mother say?
Vazquez’s family has shared several heartbreaking pleas for her return. Aside from her sister who has been a key person during her search, her mother has also spoken about this misfortune.
Andrea Vazquez’s heartbroken mom, Anna, breaks her silence following her daughter’s abduction.
She called the incident “a pain nobody deserves.” “She was my everything,” she told KCAL.
Andrea Vazquez’s body found in a field but lifeless.
Andrea Vazquez who was reported missing following a gunshot in Whittier has been found dead, according to a family representative.
Whittier Police shared that they searched for Andrea Vazquez in “large open land areas” in Moreno Valley, which is where her sister reported her phone was tracked.
Just before midnight, detectives located Andrea Vazquez’s body in a “vegetation field” in Moreno Valley.
The field is located off Alessandro Boulevard and Merwin Street.
Family spokesman Moses Castillo, a former Los Angeles Police detective, told KTLA that Vazquez’s corpse was discovered in Riverside.
However, it is unknown where and how she died, where her corpse was discovered, and how long it had been there.
Police say Andrea Vazquez’s killing was a random attack.
The official press release reads: “At this time, it appears that Andrea Vazquez and her male companion were randomly targeted by the suspect at Penn Park.”
A weapon thought to have been used in the crime was discovered.
Andrea’s pickup, a 2013 white Toyota Tacoma, was also found.
Who killed Andrea Vazquez?
Suspect’s mugshot released
Gabriel Sean Esparza has been detained in connection to the case after Andrea Vazquez’s body was recovered in Riverside, police say.
Whittier Police said the 20-year-old was arrested at his job in Lakewood.
Esparza is being held without bail for the suspected kidnapping and murder of Vazquez.
On Wednesday, police said they will bring the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for possible prosecution.
There was no more information regarding the case accessible at the time.