The judge in charge of the case assured that it was “a brutal and senseless act of violence.”
MIAMI, United States. – The authorities of DuPage County, Illinois, are detaining Santino Ortiz, 22, without bail, accused of murdering the young Cuban Claudia Mojarrieta Matos, 21, whose body was found in a rural area of the state, according to reported the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Ortiz, an Elmhurst resident, faces six counts of first-degree murder, one count of armed robbery and one count of concealment of a homicidal death.
Although the official statement does not mention the nationality of the victim, media outlets that cite relatives and friends They identify her as Cubanspecifically as a holguinera.
According to the official version of the Prosecutor’s Office, the case began on December 6, around 4:35 am, when the Elmhurst Police responded to a 911 call reporting the disappearance of a person, later identified as Claudia Mojarrieta Matos.
The complainant explained that he had dropped the young woman off at approximately 1:00 am in the 600 block of W. Lorraine Avenue, in Elmhurst, to meet another person, later identified as Santino Ortiz.
About 15 minutes later, the complainant himself received a call from Claudia in which, he alleges, he heard a fight and the young woman crying, until the communication was abruptly cut off. When he returned to the scene and couldn’t find her, he called 911 and filed a missing person’s report.
The search ended in tragedy: Claudia’s body was located in a rural area of Wadsworth, in northeastern Illinois, approximately 12 meters from the road, among bushes and trees.
During the investigation, Elmhurst Police identified Ortiz as a suspect in the young woman’s disappearance. The agents contacted him, who agreed to go to the police headquarters around 4:30 pm that same day, where he was interviewed and subsequently detained.
According to the version presented by the Prosecutor’s Office in court, Ortiz would have requested sexual services from Claudia and agreed to meet her in the 600 block of W. Lorraine Avenue. Once the young woman arrived, he would have driven her to his garage.
Inside the garage, Ortiz allegedly grabbed Mojarrieta Matos, forced her face down on the ground, and repeatedly slammed her head against the floor. He then took a knife out of his pocket and stabbed her several times in the back. Then, according to the prosecution, he wrapped a garbage bag over her head, placed the body in a container and, around 8:00 a.m., loaded it into his truck and drove it to Wadsworth, where he dumped it in the brush next to a road.
An autopsy conducted by the Lake County Coroner’s Office determined that Claudia had been stabbed approximately seven times in the face and head.
“A brutal and senseless act of violence”
DuPage State’s Attorney Robert Berlin expressed his condolences and condemned the brutality of the crime. In the official statement he stated: “I offer my sincere condolences to Claudia’s family and friends as they try to process this horrible loss. With complete disregard for human life, Claudia’s young life was taken in a brutal and senseless act of violence, allegedly committed by Mr. Ortiz. This type of violence will not be tolerated in DuPage County and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Berlin highlighted the speed of the investigation and the joint work of law enforcement and the Prosecutor’s Office: he stressed that the commitment to justice allowed the arrest of the accused approximately twelve hours after the initial call to 911 and the filing of charges for first-degree murder shortly thereafter.
Elmhurst Police Chief Michael McLean spoke in similar terms. In the same note, he stated that the local Police Department extended “its deepest condolences” to the young woman’s family and friends and assured that they would remain committed to supporting them while the case continues in court.
The news of the murder has generated consternation among family, friends and members of the Cuban diaspora. Publications on social networks and digital media. Community pages on Facebook have also spread grief messages in those who ask for justice.
Telemundo 51 accurate that the young woman’s family seeks to have her body sent to Cuba.
