After woman’s body is dumped near Mexico border, police search for boyfriend

A manhunt is underway for the boyfriend of a mother of four whose body was found near the U.S.-Mexico border last week, authorities said.

Brittney Steenbergen, 36, and Adel Hussein, 44, were reported missing by one of their four children on New Year’s Eve. Steenbergen was last seen at home in Plainview, Calif., three days earlier, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office said.

During their investigation, detectives learned of a possible domestic violence incident and discovered the family’s vehicle — a dark blue 2007 Toyota RAV4 with California plates — was missing, according to the sheriff’s Facebook page.

The day after Steenbergen was reported missing, sheriff’s deputies found her body in a rural area in Imperial County, nearly 400 miles from her home. The family’s missing SUV was found abandoned in El Centro, just north of the Mexico border.

Hussein was last seen in Tipton on New Year’s Eve and is known to frequent the Plainview and Porterville areas, police said. The 5-foot-4, 200-pound man was last seen wearing a gray hat with a “B” on it, blue jeans and black shoes.

Anyone with information about Hussein’s whereabouts can call the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office at (559) 733-6218. Anonymous tips can be sent to (559) 725-4194 or tcso@tipnow.com.