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19-year-old Ariel Cruz has been taken into custody, for allegedly murdering his ex-girlfriend, 21-year-old Idania Campos. Campos was reportedly found in her car's trunk after she went missing for several hours. According to the Houston Police Department, Cruz was at the scene with the victim's family, when the body was recovered.
Court documents state that the suspect had fatally shot Idania Campos. The family revealed that on Wednesday they were told that Cruz had admitted to the murder of Campos. On the same day, he was booked into the Harris County Jail, and a bond was set in his name at $600,000.
The victim's family claimed that Idania Campos didn't arrive at school on Tuesday, and was missing until her remains were recovered from the car's trunk
A family of a 21-year-old young girl, made a horrific discovery in a car's trunk on Tuesday at about 5.40 pm local time. Upon opening the car, what they saw was something that would deeply impact their lives. It was the body of 21-year-old Idania Campos, stuffed there. What led the family to the car was when they got to know that Campos had not arrived at school on Tuesday.
Her family members including her former boyfriend, began looking for the missing girl, but she was nowhere to be found. They soon discovered her last known location which was 5400 block of Indigo Street in Houston. Upon arrival, they found an abandoned black Honda Civic. The car belonged to the victim, Idania Campos, but she wasn't there. Authorities were also informed by then, and the 21-year-old was reported missing.
Meanwhile, a family member opened the car's trunk, only to discover an unresponsive Campos. Emergency services soon arrived at the location and pronounced her dead on the scene. Later, after an investigation, cops claimed that the victim had sustained signs of trauma on her face. Cops considered the victim's former boyfriend, Ariel Cruz as the suspected murderer, and arrested him.
Jenna Gonzalez, who lives nearby spoke about the discovery, and said,
"'Here's a bat. Here's a towel.' So we broke the window open, unlocked the car. I popped the trunk, and there she was, just laying there. There was no way to save her. There was too much blood."
Family members spoke to ABC Houston and mentioned that the disturbing part of all is that Cruz was with them the entire time while they were looking for the missing girl. While the family described him as a "good friend" of the victim, authorities mentioned that the two had dated in the past.
ABC7 Chicago reported that the suspect allegedly killed Idania Campos because she had broken up with him. After reportedly admitting to the murder, authorities booked him into jail on a bond. His court appearance has been scheduled for Thursday.
Cops initially came to the scene and left after not finding anything suspicious regarding the car
The victim's identity was not revealed initially, as it was yet to be confirmed by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. While addressing the suspect's arrest, police stated that he has been charged with murder, in connection to Idania Campos' death. Her family is heartbroken and is trying to deal with this massive loss. Bobbie Munoz, her aunt, said:
"So I guess because he couldn't have her, he didn't want us to have her either."
According to Houston Police, Campos' family discovered her location in the Meyerland area, by tracking her cellphone. She allegedly shared her location with a friend, which the family used to track her cellphone. Authorities have asked people living nearby to check their surveillance footage between 8.20 am and 1.40 pm on Tuesday.
The family further told the law enforcement officials that Idania Campos had last spoken to her mother on Tuesday, at about 8.20 am local time. Before the victim's father opened the trunk, cops came and stated that they found nothing suspicious in the scene and left. They just discovered the victim's cellphone there. Lt. Alias Smith stated:
"Of course, if the family thought she was in the car, of course, they would have made forced entry, but at this point, they just thought it was left there. Nobody at that point thought she was inside the trunk."
Lt. Smith further revealed that she feels that Idania Campos was murdered at a different location, and was then stuffed in the car. A hearing officer claimed that Cruz had shot Campos to death near a shopping mall, and then put her in her car's trunk. The family is now waiting for justice to be served for the deceased victim.
A GoFundMe page has been launched to cover Idania Campos' funeral and memorial charges. The fundraiser has aimed at raising $10,000 and has currently collected over $1,400 from more than 40 contributors.
