Police in Washington State, responding Thursday morning to a routine report of a suspicious vehicle, found a scene straight from a horror movie: the car was full of dismembered body parts and “flesh” -like substances, authorities said.
The 2014 Honda Accord, abandoned in the small town of Othello, may not have attracted much attention from passersby at all, if not because of one disturbing detail – it had blood smeared on the hood.
“A dead person was discovered upon further investigation in the vehicle,” said a press release from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office.
From there, things quickly went downhill when what appeared to be ‘meat’ was found in the back seat, along with a human head in the back seat, court documents say.
Police soon discovered more body parts in the trunk of the vehicle. The limbs are believed to belong to two different people.
“At the moment, the victims have not been positively identified due to the extent of the physical condition,” Sheriff Dale Wagner said in Friday’s press release.
A 28-year-old man, identified as Mauricio Nava-Garibay, is in custody on charges of murder after allegedly seen walking away from the gruesome crime scene. He reportedly told investigators that he had a falling out with his girlfriend, Dora Martinez, in her home before luring her to a garage on the pretext that he had a ‘present’ to give her. He then stabbed her in the neck and torso several times, punched her in the face and strangled her with an extension cord, he told investigators, according to local news outlet KIMA-TV.
Another woman, identified as Guadalupe Martinez, is said to have entered the garage at this point, at which point Nava-Garibay pushed her to the concrete floor and stabbed her in the back of the neck, according to multiple reports.
No further details were available about the relationship of the two women with the suspect.
“Research like this is very challenging and delicate. We appreciate every cooperation from our community, ”said Wagner.