Authorities say they have made a second arrest in the case of a missing 22-year-old Fallbrook woman, and they say they have found the body of a female who had not yet been identified.
"The San Diego County Sheriff's Department Crime Lab will be processing the scene. The body will be transported back to the San Diego County Medical Examiners Office. Positive identification of the deceased, as well as the cause and manner of the death will be determined," according to Larry Nesbit, of San Diego Sheriff's Homicide.
Brittany Killgore was last seen by a friend in Fallbrook, a rural San Diego County community, at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 13. Investigators said they believe there is a strong likelihood she is the victim of foul play.
Investigators believe that Killgore, whose estranged husband is deployed on combat duty overseas, was with 45-year-old Louis Ray Perez, a Marine based at Camp Pendleton, just before she went missing, homicide Lt. Larry Nesbit said.
Detectives questioned Perez about Killgore's disappearance before arresting him Sunday on suspicion of possessing a stolen AR-15 military assault rifle. He was being held at San Diego Central Jail on $500,000 bail pending arraignment, which was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
Jessica Lynn Lopez, 27, was arrested late Tuesday morning at the Ramada Inn in the 1400 block of Rosecrans Blvd., the San Diego County Sheriff's Department announced at a press conference Tuesday. She will be charged with murder, said sheriff's Capt. Duncan Fraser with the Homicide Division at an afternoon press conference.
She is currently in the UCSD Medical Center for "medical necessity," said sheriff's Capt. Duncan Fraser with the Homicide Division.
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Authorities also said they found a female body at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in Riverside County near Lake Skinner. They would not confirm if the body was Killgore's.
The news came after it was announced that the Killgore's estranged husband, a Marine in Afghanistan, will return to California on emergency leave as authorities try to determine whether she met with foul play.
Killgore had filed for divorce last week from Lance Cpl. Cory Killgore. Authorities have said Killgore is not a suspect in the disappearance of his wife.
Brittany Killgore may have traveled to the Gaslamp area of San Diego before she went missing, as her cell phone was found there, according to sheriffs deputies. Perez is believed to be one of the last people seen with her. His arrest was on unrelated charges, according to officials.
Perez has been questioned regarding Killgore's disappearance, but detectives said he was uncooperative. Investigators are now classifying Perez as a "person of interest."
"[He is] uncooperative and not completely forthcoming about his knowledge we believe," said Lt. Larry Nesbit.
Cory Killgore posted on his Facebook page asking for prayers for his family.
“Thank you everyone for the prayers and concern," Cory said on Tuesday. "I request you pray for her more then you do for me. I have family and friends for support. She is alone where ever she is."
A car parked at her residence had explicit language scribbled in the dust of the car windows. Investigators said the comments were not there yesterday.
Killgore is described as 5-foot-8 with brown hair, brown eyes and a weight of 130 pounds. She was last seen wearing a dark purple evening gown with purple floral glitter patterns.
Anyone with information about Killgore can contact Detective Brian Patterson at 858-974-2321 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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