San Diego Criminal Attorneys Blog
The body of a teenage slaying victim found four months ago in an Oregon Park has been identified as a runaway girl from San Diego. On June 26th, police found the murder victim’s unidentified body in Washington Park, Portland. It appeared to them the teen had recently been living on the street and they believed she wasn’t from the area. To help determine the girl’s identity, Portland investigators distributed a sketch of her face to law enforcement agencies across the nation.
After viewing the composite sketch, a detective with Clark County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit, recalled a missing person bulletin that went out during the time of girl’s disappearance. The Washington detective notified the Portland police of his discovery and assisted them in connecting the two cases.
Dental records soon confirmed that the missing girl was 15-year-old Mayra Sophia Cruz Rodriguez, a runaway teen from San Diego. According to Homicide detectives, Mayra was first reported missing June 15 while she was visiting relatives in Vancouver, Washington. She was also reported missing as a runaway in San Diego County.
Portland Homicide Detectives have arrested and charged a transient and convicted sex offender, Mark Beebout, with the aggravated murder of Mayra Cruz. He was tied to her death through DNA evidence. Beebout has also been charged with the homicide of another woman, as well. According to a Portland television station, Beebout pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him.
On Monday, the Portland Police Bureau thanked many of the agencies who helped distribute the sketch they developed of the teen murder victim. The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office, the Oregon State Forensic Laboratory, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and other agencies were recognized for their important roles in identifying Mayra Sophia Cruz Rodriguez.
Sources: “Portland Slaying Victim ID’d as San Diego Girl” ~ North County Times, October 30, 2012
“Oregon Homicide Victim Identified as San Diego Teen” ~ NBC 7 San Diego, October 29, 2012
“Victim of June Homicide in Washington Park Identified as 15-year-old Runaway” ~ The Oregonian, October 29, 2012
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