In a tragic twist of events, police told CrimeOnline that they believe the grandmother of a teen girl who was found dead, has also been found deceased after authorities reported her as missing and in “extreme danger.”
Police think the body of 49-year-old Oralia Mendoza, of Huntsville, Alabama, was discovered this morning, Madison County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. David Moody said.
“As a matter of fact we just found the grandmother this morning, and she is deceased,” Moody stated, adding that two suspects, Yoni Martinez Aguilar, 26, and Israel Gonzalez Palomino, 34, “more or less confessed last night.”
“We finally got a confession out of them,” Moody told CrimeOnline.
WHNT reports that authorities responded to Moon Cemetery on Cave Springs Road in Owens Cross Roads, Alabama, where they found a body. It is the same town that the body of Mendoza’s 13-year-old granddaughter, Mariah Lopez ,was reportedly discovered. The media outlet reports that although evidence suggests to investigators that the body is indeed that of Mendoza, they are awaiting confirmation from the Department of Forensic Sciences for a positive identification.
According to a Madison County Sheriff’s Office press release, Lopez’s body was discovered in a wooded area located at 166 Lemley Drive in Owens Cross Roads last week, as CrimeOnline previously reported.
Al.com reports that a farmer found the body before contacting authorities. Specific details regarding the deaths have not been released, with authorities citing an ongoing investigation. Moody told CrimeOnline that he expects more details to be released early next week.
Aguilar and Palomino are being held without bond at the Madison County Jail on capital murder charges, according to police. Authorities are asking anyone with additional information involving the case to call the Madison County Sheriff’s Office at 256-533-8820.
[Feature photo: Oralia Mendoza & Mariah Lopez, Madison County Sheriff’s Office]
