Woman Slain While Sleeping Was Potential Witness in Trial

Sheriff’s investigators revealed that a woman who was shot to death as she slept was a potential prosecution witness in an upcoming kidnaping trial.

Maria Contreras, 36, had helped lead deputies to two men who were arrested in San Diego after the July 7 kidnaping of young Rachel Avila. The infant was abducted from her mother but returned three days later after a bungled attempt to collect ransom.

On Tuesday, Contreras was found in her apartment with a bullet in her head. She was shot while she slept, authorities said.

“You’ve got a homicide here that looks like someone entered the house, went in (the bedroom), shot her and left,” Madera Police Chief William Colston said Thursday. There were no signs of burglary.

Sheriff’s Lt. Tom Turk said Contreras was one of several people questioned about the kidnaping case involving Ruben Cruz Martinez, 21, and Juventino Mendiola Hernandez, 20.

She provided information that led to the arrests and later helped identify the men, Turk said. But she did not testify against the men during an October preliminary hearing, and it was uncertain whether she would have been called as a witness in the trail, scheduled in January.

Both men remained in jail, and there was no immediate evidence that the two crimes were related. All witnesses interviewed in the kidnaping case will be questioned again about the murder, Police Sgt. Mike Jeffries said.

“It’s strictly conjecture at this point,” Jeffries said. “We’re looking at all aspects of the case.”

Jeffries added that the police chief, sheriff and district attorney’s office were deciding Friday if police protection is needed for other witnesses.