Missing woman’s body found in sleeping bag after police track her phone, WA cops say
The body of a 30-year-old missing woman was found in remote area of Washington after police said they tracked her cellphone.
Yanira Cedillos’ body was found on May 12 in a sleeping bag covered in tree limbs and leaves outside Wallula Junction in Walla Walla County, the Moses Lake Police Department said.
Cedillos first went missing on March 4 after celebrating her birthday at Papa’s Casino in Moses Lake the night before, police said.
She left the casino on foot after an argument and asked a friend to pick her up, police said. But when her friend arrived at the spot, they couldn’t find Cedillos.
The woman called her friend back, and a man was heard yelling in the background before Cedillos’ phone hung up, police said.
This man was also the same person who had been calling and texting Cedillos throughout the night asking what she was doing, witnesses told police.
Juan Gastelum, 27, of Hermiston, Oregon, was arrested on second-degree murder and second-degree rape charges on March 9 in the killing of Cedillos, police said.
Authorities discovered that Gastelum, who also goes by Johnny Trujillo, picked Cedillos up and took her to her apartment.
Police said they found evidence that Cedillos was killed in her apartment and her body was moved.
Video surveillance showed Gastelum cleaning out his car several hours after Cedillos had been killed in her apartment, police said. Authorities recovered the evidence that had been tossed from his car.
Cedillos body was found more than two months after she was reported missing, police said. Investigators said they tracked Gastelum’s phone to the remote area where Cedillos body was found.
The Spokane County Medical Examiner identified her body on May 16 — four days after her body was discovered.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Yanira’s family and friends. Yanira’s family have been side by side with us throughout this entire investigation,” police said. “Although the outcome is not what anyone wanted, it brings us comfort that we were able to find Yanira and bring her back to her family.”
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