Authorities have identified a body found at a grave site in the Elgin area Monday as that of a Kyle woman who had been missing since late February.
Bastrop County officials have now charged a Mexican national with murder in connection with the death of Yuridia Anaya Espinosa Nava.
Tomas Sanchez-Solorzano, 34, who is an undocumented resident from Guanajuato, Mexico living in the Elgin area, is being held in the Bastrop County Jail on a $500,000 bond and an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detainer, according to a press release.
Authorities originally received a missing persons’ report for Espinosa Nava, 33, of Kyle, on Feb. 23. According to a Kyle press release, relatives reported Espinosa missing after she never returned after leaving home Feb. 22 for work. Her vehicle was found a week later at a convenience store in the El Roy community of Travis County, according to Bastrop County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) officials.
Kyle Police, along with the Texas Rangers, investigated the case, which led them to a suspect who lived in Bastrop County.
On March 25, Sanchez-Solorzano was arrested by the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office on an unrelated traffic charge. A search warrant was then executed at Sanchez-Solorzano’s home in the 100 block of Camino de Agua road in the Elgin area by Kyle Police, the BCSO and ICE agents.
While executing the warrant, authorities found a body in a grave site off of Lower Elgin Road in Bastrop County. On Tuesday, authorities confirmed the body found was Espinosa Nava.
Jeff Barnett, Kyle Police chief, said authorities “never gave up the hope” they’d find Espinosa alive.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the family of Ms. Espinosa Nava during this extremely difficult time,” Barnett said. He added the search for Espinosa was consistently a top priority for their investigators.
The BSCO is investigating the case. No other details are available at this time.
This story is developing. We will provide updates as they become available.
