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A man reportedly in the U.S. illegally was charged with killing a 19-year-old Maryland woman whose body was discovered off a highway earlier this week.
Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, 35, of Bowie, Maryland, was arrested Thursday in the killing of Dacara Thompson, the Prince George’s County Police Department said.
Hernandez-Mendez is an illegal immigrant and had a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer issued on Thursday, according to WJLA-TV.
Prince George’s County Police Department told Fox News Digital the department was not releasing the immigration status of Hernandez-Mendez. ICE did not immediately respond when Fox News Digital reached out.
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Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, 35, was charged with first- and second-degree murder in Thompson’s death. (Prince George’s County Police Department)
The news outlet also reported that U.S. Park Police arrested Hernandez-Mendez for a DWI in April, but he was subsequently released pending a court appearance. Fox News Digital reached out to the Park Police but did not immediately hear back.
Thompson’s family reported her missing on Aug. 23. On Sunday, her body was discovered dumped in a grassy area near Route 50 in Anne Arundel County.
Dacara Thompson, 19, was found dead on Sunday, over a week after her family reported her missing. Police said they believe she was murdered. (Prince George’s County Police Department)
Investigators combed through security footage that showed Thompson had approached a black SUV in the early hours of Aug. 23. She was seen speaking to the driver, according to police, before entering the vehicle. The driver then drove to a home in Bowie.
Detectives executed a search warrant on the home Thursday and uncovered evidence that suggested Thompson had been killed in the bedroom of the home, police said.
Hernandez-Mendez lived at the home in the bedroom where authorities say the killing happened. Police said he also has access to the black SUV that Thompson was seen entering.
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Hernandez-Mendez was charged with first- and second-degree murder in Thompson’s death.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore released a statement on the death investigation Friday, calling Thompson a “bright light” who was “committed to public service.”
“Our entire state mourns the horrible loss of Da’Cara Thompson, who was taken from us by an act of senseless violence,” the governor said in the statement, vowing to use “every tool at our disposal” to hold those responsible for her death accountable.
The 19-year-old’s cause of death has yet to be determined, though police said it may be ruled a homicide based on the evidence collected.
As the investigation remains active, police said detectives are working to determine whether Hernandez-Mendez and Thompson knew each other before the day she went missing.
Hernandez-Mendez is being held without bond by the Maryland Department of Corrections.
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A new photo has been released of the victim in a nearly 30-year-long unsolved murder case, in the hope of finding any new potential witnesses in the cold case, New Hampshire officials said.
“Our family wants to know what happened, who did this and why,” the family of Rosalie Miller said in a press release. “We miss her and want to give her peace.”
Miller was last seen on December 8, 1996 at her apartment in Manchester. At the time of her disappearance, Miller had plans on meeting friends in the Auburn, New Hampshire area, officials said.
Her body was found on January 20, 1997 in a partially wooded spot on a residential lot along the Londonderry Turnpike in Auburn, officials said in the release.
The autopsy report declared Miller’s death a homicide by asphyxiation due to ligature strangulation, N.H. officials wrote.
As part of a new effort to garner public help with the case, an “uncirculated” photo of Miller, 36, is being distributed “in hopes it may jog the memory of someone who saw or spoke with her in the winter of 1996,” Attorney General John M. Formella and New Hampshire State Police Colonel Mark B. Hall announced on behalf of the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit in a joint press release.
Investigators are especially hoping to talk to anyone who was in contact with Miller in December of 1996 or anyone “who may have seen her in the vicinity of the Londonderry Turnpike in Auburn during that time,” officials said in the release.
“We are releasing this new photograph today because we believe someone out there has information, perhaps a detail they thought was insignificant at the time, that could be the key to solving this case and bringing justice for Rosalie and those who loved her,” Senior Assistant Attorney General R. Christopher Knowles, New Hampshire Cold Case Unit Chief said in the release.
The New Hampshire Cold Case Unit encourages anyone with any amount of information to contact the group at [email protected] or (603) 271-2663.
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A New Jersey animal shelter is asking for the public’s help after last month’s blizzard did heavy damage to its property in Ocean County.
On social media, Popcorn Park Animal Refuge posted a video and described the fury of the storm. saying that the blizzard “caused unexpected damage… impacting habitats, fencing, structures, and critical infrastructure.”
The nonprofit animal haven says its team “worked tirelessly to keep every animal safe during the storm,” however, “the aftermath has left us facing urgent repairs and significant financial strain.”
Photo: Popcorn Park Animal Refuge
The refuge says this winter has been “especially challenging.” It says “repeated severe weather has forced extended closures to the public, further limiting vital support and creating an added burden during an already difficult recovery period,” adding “we need our community now more than ever.”
Popcorn Park was established in 1977, according to its website. It’s part of the Associated Humane Societies — which bills itself as New Jersey’s largest animal welfare organization. Popcorn Park describes itself as “a sanctuary for abandoned, injured, ill, exploited, abused, or elderly farm animals, birds, and wildlife (domestic and exotic).”
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