A man is accused of driving Dacara Thompson to his home in Bowie, Maryland, killing her in the bedroom and leaving her body in a grassy area where she was later found by police.
(WTOP/Jose Umana)
WTOP/Jose Umana
(Courtesy 7News)
Courtesy 7News
(WTOP/Jose Umana)
WTOP/Jose Umana
A man has been charged in the killing of a 19-year-old woman from Prince George’s County, Maryland, whose body was found last weekend after she was reported missing in late August.
Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, 35, was arrested and charged with first- and second-degree murder in Dacara Thompson’s death, investigators said Friday morning.
Hernandez-Mendez is accused of driving Thompson to his home in Bowie, killing her in the bedroom and leaving her body in a grassy area where she was later found by investigators.
A timeline of events by police
Surveillance footage showed Thompson willingly getting into a black SUV at around 3 a.m. on Aug. 23, police said. The driver, believed to be Hernandez-Mendez, took the young woman to his home in the 12000 block of Kembridge Drive in Bowie.
“We believe everything transpired in the bedroom,” said George Nader, the interim chief of Prince George’s County police. “What is surrounding the two coming together, that’s what we’re still investigating.”
Police believe Hernandez-Mendez brought her body to a spot near Route 50 in Anne Arundel County. That’s where Maryland State Police later found a body, now identified as Thompson, on Sunday, Aug. 31 — about one week after Thompson’s family reported her as missing.
The body was discovered as police followed up on a call about a disabled vehicle, which they believe is unrelated to the killing.
“That area is probably about seven miles away from the murder location, but a good distance away from where she went missing,” Nader said. “So we are thankful that the Maryland State Police had the ability to locate that body based on that call for service.”
State police contacted Prince George’s County police after finding the woman’s body.
County police identified Hernandez-Mendez as a suspect. Detectives got a search warrant for Hernandez-Mendez’s home, where they said they found evidence she was killed in the bedroom.
Hernandez-Mendez is being held without bond. He’s expected to appear at a bond hearing Monday to determine whether he should remain held, according to online court records.
Investigators are looking into whether Thompson and Hernandez-Mendez knew each other before Aug. 23.
During a Friday news conference, it was revealed Hernandez-Mendez was an immigrant without proper legal status in the U.S.
He was arrested by U.S. Park Police last April on a charge of driving under the influence, Braveboy said. He was released while awaiting his trial.
At that time, he was not detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But Nader said an ICE detainer was issued for Hernandez-Mendez on Thursday.
Thompson’s cause of death hasn’t been determined but is expected to be ruled a homicide, police said. Officials did not share details about the manner of her death.
There are no other suspects in her killing at this time, police said.
Police are asking anyone with more information to call Prince George’s County police at 301-516-2512.
A 19-year-old who served her community
Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy thanked the community and law enforcement for their efforts to find Thompson.
Thompson had graduated from St. Charles High School in Charles County.
She lived with her father in Lanham.
Thompson was participating in a “Service Year Option,” a program launched by Gov. Wes Moore in 2023. Young adults get placed in a service position that’s an area of interest, with the hope being it helps recent graduates prepare for their future career.
In a statement, Moore called Thompson a “bright light in our state.”
“She yearned to be part of our mission to solve big problems with bold solutions through her passion for the arts,” the governor wrote.
Bravboy said she was working for the Nonprofit Prince George’s County.
“This is a young woman who dedicated part of her young life to serving others,” Braveboy said. “I want that to ring home to all of you that this is a good, good, good young woman who wanted to do good for her community, and now her community will stand behind her family as we seek justice for her.”
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