Missing Calif. mom's ex in jail for murder in unrelated case
LITTLE ROCK, Calif. - The ex-boyfriend of a California mother who has been missing for two weeks was arrested in February and charged with murder in an unrelated case, authorities say, according to CBS Los Angeles.
Twenty-seven-year-old Monique Figueroa has been missing since May 19.Her family believes her former boyfriend belongs to a gang that may be responsible for her disappearance, according to the station.
"She was afraid that they would possibly kidnap her because of her knowledge," Figueroa's father told the station.
He says he received a text from his daughter on May 20, the day after she vanished, saying, "Had to leave love you be back soon."
Figueroa, a mother of a two-year-old girl, was last seen leaving her home in Little Rock on May 19. Her vehicle - a 2004 Mercedes-Benz - was found Saturday in the Palmdale area.
"My sister wouldn't just get up and leave, and leave her daughter like that and disappear," Figueroa's brother, Jeff, told the station. "My sister always comes home everyday no matter what."
Sheriff's deputies won't say whether they believe Figueroa's disappearance is gang-related. CBS Los Angeles reports the disappearance is being investigated as a missing persons case, but authorities haven't ruled anything out. Figueroa's father, on the other hand, is convinced foul play is involved.
"Please, you people that have her, let her go. No questions asked, just please bring my daughter home," he told the station.
Figueroa is described as being 5'3" tall, 140 pounds and has shoulder-length brown hair and hazel eyes.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact authorities.