Madera man arrested, after high-speed chase, in death of missing Firebaugh teen
A 23-year-old Madera man is in custody on murder charges in connection with the death of Melanie Stephanie Rios Camacho, 19, of Firebaugh, who disappeared Friday evening from her job at an auto parts store.
Sheriff Tyson Pogue said in a news conference Monday that a body believed to be Camacho’s was found in an Orchard on Avenue 20 west of Highway 99.
Vicente Alexandro Jasso was taken into custody Monday morning after a high-speed chase on Highway 99 that led from Madera to Turlock and then back to Atwater, Pogue said.
A second man, Jose Cornelio Lopez-Hernandez, 22, also of Madera, is in custody on charges of accessory to murder, said Pogue.
When Camacho vanished after leaving the Autozone on Gateway Drive on Friday night, she told friends she was going to meet Jasso, with whom she had broken up three days before Thanksgiving, Poque said. Camacho’s 2014 Nissan Altima was found abandoned and burned at Road 25 near Avenue 14 in rural Madera County.
Pogue said Hernandez’ blue Mustang was seen near the burned car and that led them to the suspects. When deputies moved to arrest Jasso early Monday, he sped away in a Honda minivan, at one point, tossing items out the window of the vehicle, including Camacho’s drivers license. The California Highway Patrol was able to stop the van after speeds of 110 m.p.h. were reached.
Pogue said Jasso had previously been arrested on charges of domestic violence and violation of a restraining order.
