On July 2, when she didn’t come home from work, Leyva Elizabeth Oregel's family filed a missing person report with the Guadalupe Police Department.
Leyva’s parents and uncle say they spent the next few days searching for her and spreading awareness about her disappearance on social media.
Then on Tuesday, the family received word that Leyva’s body had been found.
“Sunday came around, nothing. Monday came around, nothing. So Monday, we decided to make a police report, and that is when the investigation started,” said Jose Mejia, Leyva’s uncle.
Guadalupe Police Chief Michael Cash says officers spent all day Monday looking for Leyva, but those searches came up empty.
The following morning, officials with the San Diego Police Department reached out.
“We got a call from San Diego Police Department saying they had found the car that had been entered into the system,” Cash told KSBY. “And they had found a body in the rear of the vehicle of a deceased female.”
Jose Mejia says that same day, San Diego Police notified the family that the body they recovered was that of his niece.
“A death like this under the circumstances, it is hard. It is hard to take in. Especially for her parents, knowing their daughter died the way she died, it is hard,” Mejia said.
San Diego Police say the body was found just north of the San Ysidro border entry and that Leyva suffered blunt force trauma, turning the discovery into a homicide investigation.
Leyva’s parents, Imelda Garcia and Ernesto Oregel, say that now, they are seeking justice.
“We are asking for help from authorities in Mexico, from authorities at the border to anyone who can help, as well as the general public. We are dealing with something very painful,” Ernesto Oregel said.
Leyva’s parents say their daughter was last seen this past Saturday, July 1, leaving for work with her ex-husband, German Armando Luna. They say they haven’t been able to get ahold of him since.
At this point, the San Diego Police Department has not released any information about a suspect.
The family says Leyva was the mother of two daughters – 14 and five years old.
They remember her as a caring and outgoing person who also loved to sing and dance.
Anyone with information about Leyva's death is encouraged to call the San Diego Police Department’s Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293.
