UPDATE 9/6/2025 – Court documents along with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) statement added into article due to the Prince George’s County Police not including these details in their press release. (They held a press conference with this information, but did not include it on their blotter release.)
Immigration and Customs Enforcement released the following information.
“Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, an illegal alien from Guatemala, has been charged with first and second-degree murder in the gruesome death of 19-year-old Dacara Thompson. ICE has issued a detainer for this criminal illegal alien and justice will be served for this Maryland family.”
Graphic details are portrayed in the court documents below.
The suspect, identified as Hugo Rene Hernandez Mendez, age 35, who is an illegal alien from Guatemala residing in Bowie, Prince George’s County Maryland, has been charged with First Degree Murder and Second Degree Murder, with additional charges pending.
According to the Prince George’s County Police Department, officers responded to a report of a missing person on the evening of August 23 at an apartment on Good Luck Road in Lanham. Upon making contact with the father of Dacara Thompson, he told police that his daughter had not returned home and that her phone calls were going unanswered. He stated that she last texted him to say she was going out to get gas and had been driving a white 2013 Ford Edge.
On August 24, family members used phone-tracking technology to locate the car, which was found parked near Jasmine Terrace in Hyattsville. The vehicle was empty, and the family immediately contacted police.
On August 31, Maryland State Police responded to a report of a disabled vehicle along eastbound Route 50 near Annapolis, and while investigating the scene, troopers discovered a nude, decomposing female body down a 31-foot embankment near the South River.
The woman, who was later confirmed to be Dacara Thompson. was identified through visible tattoos and jewelry with an autopsy being conducted on September 1 by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner which revealed skull and facial fractures, leading investigators to expect the death would be officially ruled a homicide.
The Prince George’s County Police Department was notified of the discovery and matched photographs of the deceased with known images of Thompson, confirming her identity. Detectives soon began tracking her last known movements using surveillance footage and cell phone data. Cameras captured Thompson exiting her vehicle in Hyattsville and walking toward the Family Dollar store at 2020 University Boulevard, where she was seen entering a black GMC Yukon Denali. The vehicle, later identified by Maryland registration was traced to a residence on Kembridge Drive in Bowie. Surveillance showed the vehicle returning to that location in the early hours of August 23rd. 2025. Cellular data from Thompson’s phone aligned with this timeline and showed her device remaining in the area until it deactivated around 5:03 a.m.
Detectives visited the Bowie address on September 3 and observed the SUV parked in front of the home. A search warrant was obtained and executed the next day.
During surveillance before the search, investigators saw a man leave the home and get into the Yukon. He was stopped and identified as Hugo Rene Hernandez Mendez. Mendez was detained and transported to the Criminal Investigation Division-Homicide Unit for questioning. He waived his Miranda rights and admitted to being in possession of the vehicle on August 23, stating that he had been at the Galaxy Night Club, which was noted to be across the street from where Thompson was last seen. He denied involvement in her disappearance and later requested a lawyer, ending the interview.
During the search of the Kembridge Drive residence, detectives discovered multiple occupants, all of whom were transported for questioning.
Upon interviewing these residents, one resident confirmed that Mendez was the only person who operated the Yukon and noted he had a drinking and drug problem. Another resident, whose room was next to Mendez’s, recalled hearing what they described as sexual activity around 5:00 a.m. on August 23, with the resident describing the noises as sounding like someone “wasn’t enjoying the sex,” followed by silence. That afternoon, the witness noticed the SUV was no longer parked outside, which was unusual for Mendez, especially on a Saturday.
Inside Mendez’s bedroom, detectives found suspected blood stains, which tested positive during a forensics test. They also found a white and pink fake fingernail on the floor, consistent with one missing from Thompson’s left middle finger when she was found. Multiple pairs of women’s underwear and lingerie were also discovered.
In the trash bins outside the home, police found hair matching Thompson’s wig, stained napkins with what appeared to be blood, and documents belonging to individuals who lived at the residence. A search of the SUV revealed suspected blood evidence on the front passenger seat, detected through forensic testing.
Based on the totality of evidence—surveillance footage, cell phone data, witness statements, and forensic findings—investigators concluded that Thompson was killed inside Mendez’s bedroom on August 23. They believe he then transported her body to Anne Arundel County and disposed of it by throwing it off a bridge along Route 50 in an attempt to conceal the crime. Court documents also state that Mendez has a prior criminal history and is residing in the United States illegally.
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