The vehicle driven by suspects in the carjacking and murder of a woman in Seminole County, Florida, is linked to the killing of a tow truck driver, authorities said.
Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said investigators have located the green Acura that was following 31-year-old Katherine Altagracia Guerrero De Aguasvivas before she was carjacked at an Orange County apartment complex this weekend.
The vehicle was “parked and abandoned,” Lemma said at a news conference Monday. It was towed and taken to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office to be examined for evidence.
Investigators are looking for the suspects but have been able to piece together details about the Acura. Lemma told reporters that after a series of sales, he believes the car had been unregistered on the street since February and that every license plate may have been stolen.
On March 19, before the fatal carjacking, the vehicle was towed from an Orlando apartment complex because it was parked illegally, Lemma said.
Investigators learned that the driver, Juan Luis Cintron Garcia, 39, of the truck towing the Acura was killed about a month later on April 10.
Lemma said Garcia was shot and more than 100 bullets were found at the scene, as well as a green vehicle matching the description of the Acura.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said Garcia’s death is under investigation.
“We are still in the early stages of this open and active homicide investigation, but we can tell you that this was not a random act and that detectives believe Mr. Cintron Garcia was the target,” a spokesperson said in an emailed statement . “We have no information on suspects or motives.”
Lemma said he “absolutely” believes Garcia and De Aguasvivas’ deaths are linked.
“But we’re going to have to have physical evidence that absolutely proves that,” he told reporters on Monday.
Cellphone video from Thursday captured the Acura behind De Aguasvivas’ white Dodge Durango at a red light in Seminole County. The footage showed a gunman forcing his way into the back seat of her vehicle. She drove away when the light turned green and the Acura followed.
Lemma said the shooter was wearing a black hoodie and a “ski-like mask” and was carrying what appeared to be an automatic pistol. He said it was not a random incident and that the suspects “knew exactly who they were following.”
An SUV that was so badly burned that “you couldn’t positively identify the vehicle” was found in a construction area about two hours after the carjacking, Lemma said. A body believed to be De Aguasvivas was found inside, according to Lemma, who said DNA and dental records were needed to confirm the identity.
Twelve shell casings were also found at the scene.
Moments before the carjacking, De Aguasvivas had called her husband to tell him that someone had rammed the back of her vehicle and was following her. The man allegedly told her not to stop anywhere, but neither called 911, Lemma said.
The sheriff said the man is cooperating with the investigation but accused him of withholding information. The man had told investigators that his wife, from Homestead in Miami-Dade County, was in Seminole County visiting relatives.
“You don’t let your wife communicate with you that you’re getting hit by a car and no one calls for two hours,” the sheriff said at Monday’s news conference. “So he cooperated, he provided information. I think the first story was that she was here to visit relatives, I don’t know if we believe that. … I think there are a lot more blanks that he could help fill in.”
The husband is not a person of interest or suspect, Lemma said.
In another twist, an Orange County sheriff’s deputy was arrested and charged with five felonies and accused of leaking information about the case to De Aguasvivas’ husband.
The deputy, Francisco Estrella, is accused of providing the husband with details of the Seminole County investigation, as well as the lead detective’s home address. Lemma said Estrella’s wife is a family friend of De Aguasvivas’ husband.
Estrella was charged with obstructing a criminal investigation, illegally disclosing communications, accessing an electronic device without authorization, using a two-way communications device to facilitate a crime, and wiretapping.
A call to a number for Estrella was not returned Tuesday afternoon and it was not clear whether Estrella had an attorney.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said he has been relieved of all law enforcement duties without pay pending an investigation.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
