ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A well-being check for an Orange County man last week has turned into a murder investigation after his girlfriend’s body was found in Georgia, according to the sheriff’s office.
In a Monday news release, deputies said they were called to Maribou Circle on Oct. 29 to perform a well-being check on Jorge Quintero, 41, after he reportedly made “suicidal statements” to family members.
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Upon deputies’ arrival, neither Quintero nor his girlfriend — identified as Carmen Carrera, 29 — were there, the release shows.
Investigators said they were able to figure out that Quintero had rented a pickup truck and traveled to Alabama. Quintero was eventually found in Saraland, Alabama, but a confrontation with U.S. Marshals sparked a shooting, deputies added.
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As a result, Quintero was shot and taken to a hospital, where he remains in critical condition, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies explained that they were unable to find Carrera, leading them to believe she had been “gravely injured” by Quintero. Due to the suspicion, detectives said they contacted law enforcement in Alabama and Georgia to kick off a search for her whereabouts.
On Halloween evening, Georgia investigators managed to uncover an “object” that they suspected could have a body inside, the release states.
“The body found by Georgia authorities was determined over the weekend to be (Carrera),” the release reads. “Our detectives are in the process of securing a first-degree murder warrant for Quintero, who remains in the hospital in critical condition.”
No additional information has been provided at this time, including how Carrera’s body was found or her cause of death.
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