The Disappearance of Victoria
On Friday, October 5, 2019, Victoria Amairani Marquina was planning on going to a performance in Sacramento, California, before heading back to her house in Sutter Creek that evening. Her mother tried to call her that evening, but she didn’t pick up the phone.
When Victoria’s mother went looking for daughter on October 6, she spotted her black Honda Accord parked along Main Street in Stutter Creek. She waited for Victoria to return to the car before confronting her about not coming home or phoning. After a disagreement with her mother, Victoria said she was leaving the family home.
Victoria hasn’t been seen or heard from since, however her mother has been calling her phone and leaving messages. Victoria was last seen or heard from on October 9, and her cell phone was last used in San Joaquin County, California, on October 8. This is the last time anyone has seen or heard from her.
A black Honda Accord matching her description was discovered in Escalon, California, an hour to the south, on October 13. One of the witnesses described an automobile and a Hispanic pair who matched the description of Victoria, her car, and her online boyfriend, Joshua Anthony Martinez, 21. She disappeared without a trace.
According to Martinez, he last saw Victoria on October 6 when he dropped her off at Sutter Creek. A few days after Victoria vanished, he mysteriously disappeared to Mexico. San Diego, California, close to the border with Mexico, is where his automobile was discovered. Martinez was arrested in Mexico in June 2020 and extradited to California, where he remained in detention for six months on felony sex charges, including statutory rape; Victoria was the victim in this case.
He was scheduled for parole in December, but was instead arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with Victoria’s disappearance in May. Before obtain a Ramey Warrant, police must show probable cause and sufficient evidence to a judge, skipping the district attorney in the process. This man was taken into custody on the basis of such a warrant.
After being detained for Victoria’s murder, Martinez was freed just days later due to a lack of evidence, as the prosecution said that all the evidence against Martinez was circumstantial and that they did not believe they would be able to establish their case. Additionally, the sex crime charges were dismissed.
Authorities are still certain that foul play was involved in Victoria’s disappearance and that Martinez was responsible. Her Case remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
- Amador County Sheriff’s Department 209-223-6513