Body Parts of Woman Found in Tijuana
The partial remains of a pregnant woman who vanished nearly a month ago after being lured from her home by the promise of free diapers have been found in the trash in Tijuana.
The discovery is the latest development in the disappearance of Margarita Flores, a macabre case that continues to baffle police.
Josefina Sonia Saldana, 40, who is accused of kidnapping Flores on Sept. 14 from her Fresno home, remained in jail in lieu of $1 million bail and is the sole suspect in the case. She was not immediately charged in the slaying of Flores, who had emigrated from Mexico several years earlier.
Police learned about the body parts Tuesday afternoon and used fingerprints to identify the remains as Flores’.
Shortly before her disappearance, Flores got a call from a woman identifying herself as a charity worker and promising free baby furniture and a year’s supply of diapers. Police said that the caller arrived at the Flores home and that Flores went with her, supposedly to a warehouse to collect the gifts. Flores never returned.
Saldana was arrested the next day after she brought a dead fetus to the hospital. Police are awaiting tests on whether the fetus belonged to Flores.
Police have given no motive for the kidnapping, but Flores’ family suspects that she was taken for her unborn child.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
