California Woman Allegedly Kidnapped During Random Shooting Found Dead
Andrea Vazquez, a California woman, went missing after shots were fired at the car she and her boyfriend were sitting in, according to authorities. ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

The body of 19-year-old California woman Andrea Vazquez, who had been reported missing and believed to have been abducted in Whittier, has tragically been discovered, according to PEOPLE.

The local authorities have arrested 20-year-old Gabriel Esparza, a resident of Whittier, in connection with Vazquez's death.

Vazquez's remains were found in an open field in Moreno Valley on Monday night following the arrest of Esparza earlier that day.

The Whittier Police Department is actively investigating the incident, and the case has been presented to the Los Angeles District Attorney for further proceedings.

A total of seven charges were filed against Esparza, including murder, attempted murder, kidnapping to commit rape, kidnapping, assault with intent to commit rape, and attempted forcible rape, Wednesday afternoon.

Additionally, the charges include allegations of special circumstances related to murder during a kidnapping and attempted rape, with the use of a rifle being specified in the allegations.

"Special circumstances of murder during the course of a kidnapping and murder during the course of an attempted rape" were also alleged, the district attorney's office said. Esparza allegedly "personally used a rifle," the office said.

The California Random Shooting

According to police reports, the tragic incident involving Andrea Vazquez occurred at Penn Park in Whittier in the early morning hours of Sunday, per HuffPost.

Vazquez was with her boyfriend inside his car when an armed man approached them and opened fire. Vazquez's boyfriend managed to escape the gunfire and fled the scene.

Upon returning, he found blood near the vehicle and discovered that Vazquez was missing.

The police believe that Vazquez and her boyfriend were randomly targeted in the shooting. The circumstances surrounding the incident left Vazquez's family devastated and in shock.

Her mother, Ana Vazquez, expressed the family's profound grief and bewilderment, questioning why this tragedy happened and who the perpetrator was.

"We don't know this person. When I see the picture of this guy who killed her, I see him, and why did he do that? Who is he? Why my daughter? There's so many things in my head," she said.

The investigation into the case eventually led detectives to Gabriel Esparza, a 20-year-old resident of Whittier.

Esparza was arrested at his workplace in Lakewood on suspicion of kidnapping and murdering Andrea Vazquez.

Later that same night, Vazquez's body was discovered in a field located about 60 miles east of the initial incident.

Authorities recovered Esparza's gun and his 2013 white Toyota Tacoma truck vehicle as part of the investigation.

The relentless pursuit of justice by law enforcement led to the arrest of the suspect and the recovery of evidence in this heartbreaking case.

Gabriel Esparza Pleads Not Guilty to Killing Andrea Vazquez

Gabriel Sean Esparza, the 20-year-old son of a Los Angeles County fire captain, has pleaded not guilty to serious charges related to the kidnapping and murder of Andrea Vazquez, a 19-year-old woman from California, The Independent noted.

The legal proceedings will continue as the case unfolds, and the court will evaluate the evidence and arguments presented by both the prosecution and the defense.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: What happened to Andrea Vazquez? - From FOX 11 Los Angeles