Priscilla Joan Aldana, 43, of Salem, Oregon, was reported missing December 23, 2024. Family and community members mounted an extensive search with posters and organized search parties. Her body was found January 3, 2025, near a burned structure in an abandoned lot on Lancaster Drive Southeast; the state medical examiner determined she had been shot in the head and ruled the death a homicide.

Salem police identified 44-year-old Erik Mauricio Meza, reportedly Aldana’s boyfriend, as the primary suspect. Meza was arrested January 9, 2025, near Center Street Northeast and 18th Street and was charged with second-degree murder, second-degree abuse of a corpse, and second-degree arson. He was arraigned in Marion County Court and ordered held without bail pending a January 21, 2025 court date. Court records note a prior federal conviction in 2013 for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, with more than seven years served.

Aldana’s mother and sister described her as compassionate and loving; her family and community have highlighted the case in discussions about missing and murdered Indigenous women. Does anyone have information about Aldana’s last known movements or the area around Lancaster Drive Southeast?