Brittany Killgore: Body Identified, Suspect Held on $3M Bond
Brittany Killgore's body has been positively identified by the San Diego medical examiner's office. The woman, 25, had been missing since Friday evening, and police are still investigating United States Marine Louis Ray Perez, who was the last person to have seen her alive, according to investigators.
According to reports, Killgore filed for divorce from husband Lance Cpl. Cory Killgore only days before her disappearance. Police have already taken one suspect into custody; Jessica Lynn Lopez, 25, is being charged with first-degree murder. Police found a suicide note in Lopez's room that detailed Killgore's killing and led them to her body.
It is not known what role if any Perez played in Killgore's death. Police began looking into Lopez's past when Killgore was reported missing by her family and arrested her at the Ramada Inn; she had attempted suicide and required medical care after the arrest.
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While authorities are not releasing any details about the murder, police are investigating Perez to determine whether he had a part in her death. He was arrested on Sunday for possession of a stolen AR15 assault rifle, police revealed.
"He has not been charged with murder, but we do have him in custody for weapons possession," Lt. Larry Nesbit told KTLA. "At this point, he is being actively investigated for this disappearance."
"Mr. Perez was not cooperative or what we felt was fully forthcoming in his interview," Nesbit told MSNBC.
Perez is being held on $500,000 bond after the judge determined he would be a flight risk. Lopez is being held on $3 million bond and has pleaded "not guilty" to the charge of first-degree murder.
"Brittany is my daughter," her father Darryl Wrest said at a press conference. "I am here to speak for Brittany, as her voice was taken from her. Brittany was a beautiful, kind, caring, young woman trying to find her way in this world. Please leave my daughter in peace, she does not deserve to be a victim of lies and innuendo anymore than she deserved to be murdered."
The Lopez family also issued a statement saying that they were praying "for the family of Brittany Killgore and ask that the Lord comfort them during their time of grief."
