CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A person of interest wanted for questioning in the dismemberment of a woman in Charlotte is dead. According to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, Mara Garcia’s body was found dismembered in the back of an SUV at an apartment complex on Dove Tree Lane on Sunday.
A family described the stench that came from a bluish gray Toyota 4-Runner. It was parked just feet from their Hidden Valley home at the Woodland Hollow Apartments in North Charlotte. “It was so strong,” they said.
White markings were all that remained of the car that some neighbors say sat as long as a week before the discovery. CMPD says detectives towed the SUV away from the complex after a call about a suspicious vehicle.
Investigators discovered the body of the dismembered woman once they began processing it in the crime scene bay at CMPD Headquarters.
Police identified the person of interest they released in a photo on Monday as Lenin Noel Turcios Corea. He was found dead on Tuesday from an apparent suicide. It was determined that the suspect and victim were involved in a romantic relationship and were living together.
For the latest developments, stay tuned to WCCB News @ Ten.
