A 28-year-old man has been charged with murder after Vanessa Sanchez was found dead May 30.
BERKELEY, Calif. — A 37-year-old woman who had survived stage 4 breast cancer was found dead inside a suitcase in her Berkeley apartment, and a 28-year-old man has been charged with murder, authorities said.
Vanessa Sanchez was found May 30 after investigators went to her apartment and discovered her body concealed inside a suitcase. Damarcus David Jones, 28, has been charged in her death. Authorities said surveillance video, phone records and statements gathered during the investigation helped link Jones to the apartment in the days before Sanchez was found.
Sanchez was last seen alive May 24, when surveillance footage showed her entering her apartment with Jones, according to court records cited by local reports. Two days later, cameras captured Jones returning to the building with a black roller suitcase. Investigators later found Sanchez’s body inside the suitcase in her apartment.
Authorities said Jones admitted to killing Sanchez and placing her body in bags and then inside the suitcase. Investigators said he also told them he opened windows and left an air purifier running because he knew the body would begin to smell. Phone records placed Jones at the apartment from May 24 through May 27, according to the records.
An autopsy found Sanchez suffered multiple injuries, including possible blunt-force trauma to the head and injuries to her neck. Officials have not publicly released a final cause of death. Police described Jones as Sanchez’s boyfriend, though a close friend told local media the relationship was not that serious.
Jones was arrested June 2 in Dixon, California. Alameda County jail records show he is being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail. His next court appearance is scheduled for June 30.
Sanchez’s family remembered her as loving, brave and deeply caring. In a memorial statement, relatives said she had faced stage 4 breast cancer with strength and grace. They said she moved to Berkeley in 2018 and worked as an admissions administrator for Academy of Art College.
“The world lost a bright, bright light,” her family wrote. “Words cannot express the magnitude of this loss.”
The murder case remains pending in Alameda County. Prosecutors are expected to continue the case at Jones’ next scheduled court appearance June 30.