A man has been charged with the murder of a woman found dead in a California field.
Gabriel Esparza, 20, was arrested in connection with the kidnapping and shooting of Andrea Vazquez, 19, on Monday afternoon, Whittier Police Department said in a news release on Tuesday.
Esparza, from Whittier in Los Angeles County, was taken into custody at his workplace in Lakewood without incident, the police department added.
Vazquez's body was found in a vegetation field in Moreno Valley later on Monday, according to officers.
"At this time, it appears that Andrea Vazquez and her male companion were randomly targeted by the suspect at Penn Park," police said on Tuesday.
Vazquez had been last seen in the early hours of Sunday morning in the parking lot of Penn Park, which is about 20 miles from downtown Los Angeles.
She had been in a car with her boyfriend when an armed man approached the vehicle and began shooting. Vazquez's boyfriend "ran from the location and upon his return, discovered blood near his vehicle" and the 19-year-old missing, police said in a previous release.
Vazquez's sister told ABC 7 that she had been kidnapped as her boyfriend ran to get help. "As he turned his back to ask for help, in that moment, my sister was kidnapped," Edlyn Vazquez told the station.
Her family had been hopeful that she would be found alive.
"It's a terrible day for me today," her mother Ana told CBS Los Angeles. "I had a lot of hope to find her alive, hoping that God gave me the miracle and nothing happened."
A weapon believed to have been used in the shooting has been recovered by police.
Officers also have Esparza's white Toyota Tacoma truck.
The suspect was booked into custody on charges of murder and kidnapping. He is being held without bail.
Whittier police said the case would be turned over to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office on Wednesday.
"Detectives are not disclosing any additional details at this time because the investigation is ongoing," the police department said in the news release.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to support Vazquez's family
"I am asking all our friends and family to help my family with the tragic loss of our beautiful Andrea," wrote the organizer Diana Ortiz.
"We appreciate all the love, prayer, and support during this time. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts."
Newsweek has contacted the GoFundMe organizer and the Whittier Police Department for further comment.
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