Just before Christmas, family members reported Melissa and Johnny Soto missing in San Ysidro, Calif. This week, authorities located remains in a casino parking lot that the family said belonged to the couple.
According to the San Diego Police Department, bodies of a male and female were found in a vehicle at Golden Acorn Casino in Campo, Calif., by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol at approximately 12:25 p.m. Tuesday.
“While SDPD has not publicly identified the bodies, family members confirmed to NBC 7 they were identified as the Sotos, who were reported missing on Dec. 20,” said a report from the local NBC affiliate in San Diego. Per the report, the couple was spending time with their son, Vincent, before they announced that they were going to leave to have a talk.
“It felt like a normal night,” Vincent said. “He was just sitting here watching TV like he always does. And my parents, they always talk. He asked me, ‘Hey, Vinny, can you leave for a minute? We’re going to talk.’ So I left the house, not assuming anything.”
Around an hour and a half later, his father texted to tell him that he could come back home. However, he and his siblings began to worry as hours ticked by and their parents didn’t return.
“The initial investigation indicated the male and female were missing under suspicious circumstances,” said San Diego police. “The exact nature of what occurred and why they were missing is still under investigation.”
What police did confirm is that a 52-year-old Hispanic male and a 45-year-old Filipina female were found in the vehicle. It appears that the male died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and a preliminary investigation indicates he died by suicide.
“The female’s injuries are undetermined at this time and will be confirmed by the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office,” said police. “Her death is being investigated as a homicide with her husband as the lone suspect in what appears to be a tragic case of domestic violence.”
San Diego Police Department Lt. Steve Shebloski said during a press conference that investigators are still working to fill in what happened leading up to the apparent murder-suicide. Authorities also learned that the couple was married but living separately, “and there was likely a domestic violence incident prior to them being reported missing.”
San Diego Police asked anyone with information regarding the incident to call the Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.