Body of model 'injected with pool cleaner' found encased in concrete in middle of desert
Authorities have found a body which they believe belongs to a 24-year-old glamor model who was reported missing almost five months ago. This past week, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department announced the discovery of the body -- which they say is of Esmerelda Gonzalez reported missing on May 31 -- in a wooden box filled with concrete in the desert area north of Las Vegas, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
While the body has still not been officially identified, they said they have arrested two suspects in connection to her murder - 45-year-old Christopher Prestipino and his girlfriend, 31-year-old Lisa Mort. Another suspect in the killing has been identified as Cassandra Bascones.
Reports said Gonzalez suffered from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and had been off her medication in the weeks leading up to her disappearance. Prosecutors said on the night of her death, she mistakenly made her way to Prestipino's house, which was just a tenth of a mile away from hers. Those suspicions were further corroborated when police interviewed an informant who claimed Prestipino had bragged to a friend that "he killed the missing girl."
"Esmeralda was at Christopher’s house, and he ended up getting her high on methamphetamine," the informant reportedly told police. "Christopher was not aware of Esmeralda’s mental problems, and she started acting bizarre and speaking in the devil’s tongue."
Court documents state that the 45-year-old left Gonzalez "tied up to a bedpost for an extended period of time," and that he started strangling her after she punched him in the face when he briefly untied her. She woke up even after the attempted strangulation, which is when he allegedly poisoned her by injecting her with pool cleaner.
Prosecutors said he then rented a U-hail and asked a family friend to help him move a wooden box full of concrete - the same box in which Gonzalez's body is believed to have been found. “Chris was acting strange and turned the radio up loud because he thought the FBI was listening,” the document states.
Prespitino is facing charges of murder, first-degree kidnapping resulting in substantial bodily harm, and conspiracy murder. He made his first appearance in court on Wednesday, October 16, and is currently being held at the Clark County jail.
Mort, who is believed to have participated in the killing and helped cover up the crime, is facing a charge of harboring, concealing or aiding a felon. Jail records show she was apprehended in August on an unrelated drug charge.