The Brief Prosecutors have charged a total of three suspects in connection with a case involving a body found in a burned car in a South LA tow yard last year. An amended felony complaint has officially identified the person found inside the vehicle's trunk as Soledad Lopez. The state alleges the murder of Lopez on September 7, 2025, involved  planning, sophistication, and professionalism,  indicating a serious danger to society.



Court documents have revealed a significant expansion in a criminal case originating from a body discovered inside a burned car trunk at a South Los Angeles tow yard.

While the initial arrest took place last year, prosecutors have now officially identified the victim and filed premeditated murder charges against three individuals.

What we know:

On September 9, 2025, detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department's Missing Persons Unit were conducting a follow-up investigation at a tow yard on the 1900 block of West Gage Avenue.

During their search, investigators discovered a body inside the trunk of a Honda registered to the victim.

An amended felony complaint filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office on April 7, 2026, officially identified her as Soledad Lopez and stated the crime occurred on or about September 7, 2025.

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The filing charges two additional co-defendants with murder: 43-year-old Mariana Yeli Yepez-Cigarroa and 34-year-old Oscar Oswaldo Funes Villafranca. The complaint requests arrest warrants for both Yepez-Cigarroa and Funes Villafranca, with bail set at $2 million each.

In the complaint, the state alleges that the murder was  willful, deliberate and premeditated.  The prosecution notes that the manner in which Diaz, Yepez-Cigarroa, and Funes Villafranca carried out the offense indicates  planning, sophistication, and professionalism, within the meaning of California Rules of Court Rule 4.421(a)(8). 

What we don't know:

While the victim has been identified, authorities have not released information regarding the specific cause of Lopez's death.

It's unclear how police initially connected Diaz to 

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