The former boyfriend of a Florida mother found dead with a zip tie around her on neck July 17 was arrested Thursday in connection with her death.
WESH reports that Sanford Police arrested Joel Bauza, 50, for the murder of Joysee Cartagena Clemente, 49; she was found strangled to death in her Sanford home on Saltmarsh Loop. Her employer, JetBlue, called 911 when she didn’t log in to work that day, stating that it was highly unusual for her to miss work and not contact them.
“On July 17, 2023, at 2:10 p.m., Sanford Police received a 911 call reporting that the caller found Joysee Cartagena, deceased, at her home located in the 3000 block of Saltmarsh Loop,” the Sanford Police Department said in a statement on Facebook.
“Sanford Fire and Rescue advised upon their arrival they found Joysee inside her home with a large zip-tie around her neck….Bauza made efforts during the initial investigation to push this case towards a suicide investigation.”
According to Fox 35 News, Cartagena previously worked for Seminole County Public Schools as a secretary at Spring Lake Elementary School in Altamonte Springs. She also worked as a clerk at Lawton Elementary School in Oviedo.
Cartagena’s son, Steven Rivera Cartagena, told Fox 35 that his mother was a “personal best friend.”
“My mom was my world to me. That’s all I knew, and that’s all I wanted to know. Losing her, it just kind of made me feel like I was an orphan in a way. I was like, ‘What do I do?'”
Bauza remains behind bars without bail, facing a first-degree murder charge. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Joel Bauza/Sanford Police Department; Joysee Cartagena Clemente/LinkedIn]
