Credit: San Diego County Sheriff's Department
On Aug. 3, 1986, the body of deceased adult female was discovered down an embankment along SR 67 south of Poway Road. Sheriff's homicide detectives responded to the scene and began their investigation. They discovered the victim had sustained traumatic injuries to her body that were consistent with foul play. The Medical Examiner later ruled the manner of death as Homicide. With few leads, the investigation went cold, and the victim was never identified. The case was periodically reviewed by Homicide Cold Case detectives through the years; however, no additional leads were uncovered.
In February 2022, Sheriff's Homicide Cold Case detectives and analysts, using the victim's DNA profile, applied Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) in an attempt to identify the victim. In February 2024, they were successful, identifying the victim as Maria Pilar Del Gadillo Carrillo. She was 43 years old at the time of her death.
Carrillo immigrated to the U.S. from Yahaulica, Jalisco, Mexico in early 1986. Carrillo's family has been notified and the investigation is ongoing. Detectives are working to establish her movements in San Diego prior to her murder. Anyone that may have known Carrillo is encouraged to contact the Sheriff's Homicide Unit. The Sheriff's Homicide unit continues to review this case and it remains under active investigation.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Homicide Unit at (858) 285-6330/after hours at (858) 565-5200. You can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
Republished courtesy of San Diego County Sheriff's Department