Man who said missing girlfriend may have been picked up by ICE is now charged with her murder

A Florida antheral who allegedly told investigators his missing woman mightiness person been taken by national migration officials is present accused of the woman's murder.

Saul Garcia Gonzalez, 40, is facing second-degree execution charges successful the decease of 37-year-old Nerida Martel, whose assemblage was recovered connected Oct. 11 successful a canal astir 3 blocks from wherever the mates lived. She had been changeable successful the head.

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"[The victim] had been reported missing by the taxable days earlier she was found," Miami-Dade constabulary said successful a connection connected Thursday. "Through investigative means MDSO Homicide Bureau detectives were capable to find that the unfortunate had been murdered by [Gonzalez]."

Authorities nabbed Gonzalez astatine a buying halfway connected Wednesday. According to section NBC affiliate WTVJ, information footage captured the interaction. The video shows respective officers approaching Gonzalez, astatine slightest 1 with his weapon drawn.

Gonzalez had reported Martel missing connected Oct. 6. According to tribunal documents shared by section autarkic quality presumption WPLG, helium told investigators that helium had taken their 2-year-old girl to time attraction and that Martel was expected to find a thrust to enactment — but that seemingly contradicted what helium told a person of the family.

"[Gonzalez] told the household person that helium believed the unfortunate was imaginable successful the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel," a transgression filing says, according to WPLG. He besides allegedly told friends conflicting stories astir erstwhile helium had past seen Martel.

Investigators said that immoderate of Martel's ain actions anterior to her decease indicated that she was trying to get retired of the relationship, and that she had told household members that Gonzalez was "verbally abusive" toward her.

"The unfortunate had reached retired to a person seeking a spot to enactment lone for her and her daughter, which indicates that the unfortunate was attempting to permission the suspect and extremity their relationship," the filing says.

Cellphone records besides tipped investigators disconnected to Gonzalez's alleged wrongdoing. According to the apprehension statement, Martel's cellphone was astatine the couple's location erstwhile Gonzalez dropped their girl disconnected astatine time attraction — but it was soon moved to the determination wherever the victim's assemblage was yet discovered.

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"The defendant's instrumentality past traveled backmost to the canal wherever the victim's assemblage was discovered," the apprehension study said. "The defendant's instrumentality stayed adjacent the canal traveling astir it, until helium drove backmost to his residence. Moments later, some of the devices traveled unneurotic to the eastbound broadside of the canal … the victim's instrumentality was past turned off."

Gonzalez's instrumentality past stayed stationary for a fewer hours earlier yet moving to different residence, the connection said, according to WPLG.

Investigators noted that "the grounds collected successful this lawsuit refutes each of the statements that the suspect provided" to witnesses and instrumentality enforcement.

"The grounds besides showed that the suspect was ne'er astatine a autobus halt dropping disconnected the unfortunate and that helium did not spell consecutive to enactment aft helium dropped disconnected their daughter," the apprehension study adds.

A witnesser to Gonzalez's apprehension told WTVJ that the antheral was known to sojourn the country with his daughter, whose time attraction is nearby.

"He ever came unsocial with the small girl," the witnesser told the station. "He was normal, casual to get on with. He was ne'er disrespectful. He was pleasant. He would travel by and would ever accidental bully morning. He was ever precise attentive."

She said that not excessively agelong after, the Department of Children and Families came to prime up the girl astatine a time attraction nearby.

"The small miss is what worries maine the most. Her parent has passed away, and present her begetter is present successful jail," the worker said.

Gonzalez was denied enslaved and is pending his adjacent tribunal date.

Online records show that Gonzalez is successful custody astatine the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.