Authorities in California have confirmed that a missing 18-year-old who disappeared over the weekend with her ‘obsessed boyfriend’ has been found dead.
Marissa DiNapoli’s body was located Wednesday night at Anderson Lake in Morgan Hill and her identity has since been confirmed, the local police department announced on Thursday.
‘This is not the outcome any of us wanted, and we are heartbroken by this news,’ the Morgan Hill Police Department said in a statement, per the Morgan Hill Times.
‘Marissa was a vibrant member of our Morgan Hill community with a bright future ahead of her.
‘To Marissa’s family, our arms are around you. Our whole department is here to support you during this unimaginable time,’ it said.
DiNapoli was last heard from on Saturday, when she texted her family to say she was going to stay overnight with a friend.
Police believe she was last seen the next morning at 9:45am in Morgan Hill, with her boyfriend, named as Martin Mendoza, who officials say is considered a person of interest in her disappearance, per ABC7.
She was last seen with Mendoza leaving a home outside of town, around three miles from where a body was found on Wednesday night near the Anderson Reservoir.
California police say they have found a body in their search for 18-year-old Marissa DiNapoli, who disappeared over the weekend with her ‘obsessed’ boyfriend
Police believe she was last seen the next morning at 9:45am in Morgan Hill, California with her boyfriend, named as Martin Mendoza (pictured), who officials say is considered a person of interest in her disappearance
DiNapoli’s car was later found in the same area where she was last seen, with cops now urgently searching for Mendoza.
Friends of DiNapoli told NBC Bay Area that she had previously shared that she was fearful of Mendoza, claiming that she told them, ‘he would kill her, that he would not stop, that he’s obsessed with her, that he’s crazy and that he’s willing to go to that extent.’
California cops said they contacted Mendoza during the search, but he was not cooperative with investigators and was considered a person of interest soon after.
He is believed to be driving a white Toyota Camry with a license plate of either CW87W00 or 9PTM351.
DiNapoli’s friend Jaslyn Gutierrez said that the teen had told her about her fears that Mendoza would ‘kill her’ during their relationship.
Gutierrez added that she had known DiNapoli for years, and said they ‘had a bond that nobody could break’.
Several of DiNapoli’s friends said that the area around Anderson Lake where the body was found was a place the couple had been known to hang out at.
Family friend Serina Soque added that some of DiNapoli’s loved ones contacted Mendoza during the search, and claimed that he, ‘tried to say he wasn’t Martin and then followed that with he hasn’t spoken to her for two weeks’.
The body, which has not been verified as DiNapoli, was found in the Anderson Reservoir around three miles from where she was last seen with Mendoza in Morgan Hill, California
DiNapoli, a Starbucks barista, was described by her loved ones as having the ‘brightest smile that would light up every room… she was friends and friendly with everyone’
Soque claimed that there is a ‘video of him on the 29th (of June) and leaving with her’, however Daily Mail has not independently verified this.
In a press release on Wednesday before the body was found, officials addressed DiNapoli directly, urging her to come forward.
‘Marissa, if you are reading this press release, please contact the Morgan Hill Police Department,’ the release said.
Law enforcement sources told NBC Bay Area that it was DiNapoli’s own family who found the body on Wednesday, after her loved ones had been searching the surrounding area for days.
She is described as a Hispanic woman, about 5 feet tall, weighing about 100 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.
DiNapoli graduated from Opportunity Youth Academy three weeks ago, and her teacher Tara Guerrero, who was helping the search, said she was a bright and kind person.
‘Every student in my class touches my heart, but her especially. She had the brightest smile that would light up every room, she was friends and friendly with everyone who came into our classroom,’ she said.
‘She’s just one of those kids that leaves a mark on your heart, and I have a broken heart right now. I consider her one of my own children.’
A candlelight vigil to remember DiNapoli was scheduled for Thursday night at 6pm at the Anderson Bridge.
