Missing Woman’s Body Found

The body of a missing 20-year-old Moorpark woman was found Saturday in a remote area southeast of Simi Valley, ending a monthlong search by authorities that began after the woman’s bullet-riddled car was found under a freeway overpass.

A search team assisted by dogs discovered Megan Barroso’s body about 8 a.m. in a ravine off Black Canyon Road, authorities said. Suzan Barroso, the victim’s mother, joined 300 law enforcement officers and volunteers in the search.

“We had held out hope to the very end we could find her alive,” said Undersheriff Craig Husband. “I’m very sad for the family.”

Investigators said the body was badly decomposed and appeared to have been there for weeks.

Coroner’s officials hoped to use dental records to identify the body, but authorities said several personal items found nearby led them to believe the body is that of the missing Moorpark College student.

Barroso was last seen about 2:30 a.m. July 5 leaving a friend’s home in Thousand Oaks. She was on her way home when she was apparently abducted. The car was found on New Los Angeles Avenue under California 23 about a mile from her home.

Martin Alvarez, Barroso’s uncle, said the family was devastated by the news. He said Megan’s father, Art Barroso, spent a tense afternoon while awaiting word from the coroner’s office.

“It’s a difficult situation,” Alvarez said. “He’s already done his crying. We all have. But you want to know so you can give her a proper burial. We have to stay strong. Our main concern is getting Megan home.”

The search for Barroso intensified in recent days following the arrest of Vincent Henry Sanchez, 30, who is accused of assaulting 11 Simi Valley women over the last five years. Sanchez is a suspect in Barroso’s disappearance.

AK47 May Be a Link to Woman’s Slaying

“He is the one we are focusing on,” said Husband, adding that investigators have not ruled out the possibility that others may be involved. “We are still collecting evidence that may connect [Sanchez] with this act.”

Sanchez became a suspect after an AK47 assault rifle with a missing piece was found in his Simi Valley home. The missing part was similar to one found near Barroso’s battered dark green Pontiac Sunfire.

Investigators have not determined if the parts match. Meanwhile, lab tests are being conducted on several items of women’s clothing taken from Sanchez’s residence shortly after his arrest to determine if any belonged to Barroso.

Sanchez was charged in the Simi Valley rapes after he was arrested on suspicion of burglarizing a neighbor’s home last weekend. While in jail, Sanchez called his roommates and asked them to destroy a bag he had thrown into a recycling bin outside their Woodrow Avenue house, authorities said. Inside the bag, the roommates discovered videos and photographs of naked women bound and gagged, including one who appeared to be bleeding.

Sanchez, an unemployed handyman, is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday to enter a plea on 57 counts of sexual assault and burglary. He is being held in Ventura County Jail without bail.

Sanchez has not been charged in the Barroso case.

Moorpark City Councilman Keith Milhouse, who has become close to the Barroso family since the young woman’s disappearance, said Suzan Barroso had thrown herself into search efforts, making fliers and posters with her daughter’s photo. She joined dozens of volunteers on various search efforts over the past several weeks.

Despite a bad knee, Suzan Barroso insisted on hiking over steep and rocky terrain Saturday with the county’s search and rescue team.

“She said it gave her something constructive to do,” said Milhouse, adding that she found inspiration in the number of volunteers. Most did not know her daughter.

Simi Valley resident Maria Gardner said she was up before 6 a.m. with her three children to join in the search.

Dog Leads Searchers to Victim’s Remains

“I’m a mother. If it was me, I would want to know what happened,” said Gardner, who went to Royal High School with Sanchez. “I have daughters and nieces. It could have been them.”

Suzan Barroso and her 18-year-old son, A.J., were among those pushing through the thick brush in the Rocky Peak area east of Simi Valley when a dog drew searchers to the body in another area of the vast canyon. At that point, Suzan Barroso was taken to the Simi Valley police station. Two hours later, Undersheriff Husband told her of the discovery.

Milhouse, who helped launch a $37,000 reward fund, said he broke down when he heard the news.

“You always try to hold out a glimmer of hope,” he said, “because if you don’t have that, you don’t have anything.”