Alyssa Nicole Salazar, 33, of Salinas was last seen on July 26, 2023, leaving the Steinbeck Library at about 12:30 p.m. Surveillance shows her getting into the front passenger seat of a gray 2007 Honda Accord driven by her ex-boyfriend, 31-year-old Ivan Alfaro Escobedo. About three minutes later she made a call from Escobedo’s phone; that was her last known communication. Her family reported her missing on August 10.

Investigators traced activity to a property in unincorporated Santa Clara County linked to Escobedo’s sister. Witnesses said they saw Escobedo there on July 26 and observed Salazar motionless in the passenger seat. They also reported fires burning in barrels near the trailer in late July. On August 30 Escobedo was arrested during a traffic stop; police found a 9mm handgun and bloodstains in his vehicle that DNA testing matched to Salazar. A search of the property recovered burned human bones in a barrel and other burned remains, plus bloodstains in a bathtub, all matching Salazar’s DNA. Witnesses reported Escobedo admitted to shooting Salazar in his car, dismembering her in the trailer bathtub, and burning the remains.

Salazar had reported to Gilroy police in April 2023 that Escobedo, then her boyfriend, had raped and assaulted her; an arrest warrant followed in May. Escobedo is in custody on charges related to that earlier case and now faces murder charges. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Gilroy Police Department.