5 chilling details about Esmeralda Gonzalez's murder

The story of Esmeralda Gonzalez features on the latest episode of How (Not) to Get Rid of a Body on Investigation Discovery. The episode will explore the events leading to her tragic death, with comprehensive details from police investigations and stories shared by those who knew her.

The episode Sin City Secret marks the second in the series and will premiere on September 11, 2024, from 10-11 PM EST. In May 2019, 24-year-old Instagram influencer Esmeralda Gonzalez from Las Vegas was reported missing. She was well known for her social media presence so her absence raised immediate concern.

She was last seen, in distress, wearing lingerie and heels, captured by a neighbor's security camera. The investigation led to Christopher Prestipino, who alongside accomplices Casandra Garrett and Lisa Mort was implicated in her murder.

Esmeralda Gonzalez was reportedly injected with pool cleaner and strangled, and her body was encased in concrete within a wooden structure found in the desert. Prestipino and Garrett were arrested after a tip led police to the body.

Prestipino was a stagehand who received a sentence of 10 to 25 years after an Alford plea to second-degree murder and kidnapping. Garrett pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 20 years, with parole possible after eight. Mort pleaded guilty to accessory charges, was sentenced to 24 to 60 months, and has since been released on parole.

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5 unsettling details about Esmeralda Gonzalez's murder

Details about Esmeralda Gonzalez's murder (Image via Unsplash)

1. Injection of pool cleaner

Christopher Prestipino and Casandra Garrett injected Esmeralda Gonzalez with pool cleaner, a chemical typically used to maintain swimming pools but highly toxic if introduced into the human body.

The method was chosen to incapacitate Gonzalez during a methamphetamine-fueled gathering at Prestipino's residence, and the use of such a hazardous substance indicates a premeditated approach to harm, aiming to render Gonzalez helpless.

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2. Strangulation

After injecting her with pool cleaner, Prestipino proceeded to strangle Gonzalez, which happened to be the immediate cause of death according to autopsy reports. Strangulation was a personal and forceful method of killing, suggesting a high level of direct involvement and intent by Prestipino.

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3. Encasement in concrete

In a macabre attempt to conceal their crime, Prestipino and his accomplices encased Gonzalez's body in concrete. They placed her in a homemade wooden structure, filled it with concrete, and abandoned it in a remote desert area.

The method of body disposal was calculated to delay the discovery and identification of the remains, complicating the investigation. The choice of such a method reveals a cold and calculated mindset, aimed at evading law enforcement.

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4. Discovery in the desert

Discovery in the desert (Image via Unsplash)

Gonzalez's body was discovered several months after her disappearance in October 2019, in a desolate area outside Las Vegas. The body was found encased in a 250-gallon homemade concrete container covered by a wooden lid.

The discovery was particularly gruesome because it shows the lengths to which the perpetrators went to hide their crime, and the condition of the body majorly hindered forensic analysis, further pointing out the brutal nature of this crime.

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5. Role of a tipster

The break in the case came from a tipster who knew of the involvement of Prestipino and Garrett and was courageous enough to come forward, providing the police with the necessary lead to unravel the events leading to Esmeralda Gonzalez's death.

The tip outlined the use of pool cleaner as a weapon and the subsequent strangulation and disposal of the body.

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Catch the latest episode of How (Not) to Get Rid of a Body, featuring the case of Esmeralda Gonzalez, on Investigation Discovery on September 11, 2024, from 10-11 PM EST.