Woman found dead in Newport Beach identified; suspected killer in custody
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A Santa Ana man has been arrested in connection with the killing of a woman in Newport Beach earlier this week, police said Wednesday.
Isaac Nieto Hernandez, 29, was arrested on suspicion of murder by detectives about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday when police pulled him over near Alton Avenue and Birch Street in Santa Ana, said Newport Beach police spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella.
Authorities declined to discuss specifics about how they believe Hernandez is linked to the woman’s death.
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Just after midnight Tuesday, Newport Beach police found the body of Sarai Alcaraz in an industrial park not far from a freeway. One of Alcaraz’s friends had called police to report that she had lost contact with Alcaraz, police said.
The woman and a man had been looking for Alcaraz after she stopped responding to their calls and texts earlier in the night, Manzella said.
Officers searched the Newport Corporate Plaza business complex in the 5000 block of Campus Drive and shortly after 1:30 a.m. found Alcaraz dead inside one of the buildings there, according to coroner’s and police officials.
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FOR THE RECORD
4:04 p.m.: An earlier version of this article said the body was found in Coast to Coast Copy company’s suite. Newport Beach police later said that it is unclear where in the building the body was discovered.
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“Her friends seemed to know that’s where she was supposed to be,” Manzella said.
The business complex, between Teller and Von Karman avenues, is in an industrial area and is relatively quiet at night, Manzella said.
While it is not known why Alcaraz was inside the building, Manzella confirmed that the 23-year-old worked as an escort.
“That could have been why she was there,” Manzella said.
There are no outstanding suspects in Alcaraz’s death, authorities said.
Hannah Fry is a staff writer with Times Community News.
For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna.
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