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<\/p>\nA man is accused of driving Dacara Thompson to his home in Bowie, Maryland, killing her in the bedroom and leaving her body in a grassy area where she was later found by police.<\/p>\n
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Prince George\u2019s County Police Chief George Nader participates in a Sept. 5 news conference announcing murder charges in connection to the death of 19-year-old Dacara Thompson.
\n(WTOP\/Jose Umana) <\/p>\n
\n WTOP\/Jose Umana <\/p>\n
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A missing person flyer for Dacara Thompson, 19, of Prince George\u2019s County, Maryland.
\n(Courtesy 7News) <\/p>\n
\n Courtesy 7News <\/p>\n
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Prince George\u2019s County Executive Aisha Braveboy participates in Sept. 5 news conference regarding the death of 19-year-old Dacara Thompson.
\n(WTOP\/Jose Umana) <\/p>\n
\n WTOP\/Jose Umana <\/p>\n
A man has been charged in the killing of a 19-year-old woman from Prince George\u2019s County, Maryland, whose body was found last weekend after she was reported missing in late August.<\/p>\n
Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, 35, was arrested and charged with first- and second-degree murder in Dacara Thompson\u2019s death, investigators said Friday morning.<\/p>\n
Hernandez-Mendez is accused of driving Thompson to his home in Bowie, killing her in the bedroom and leaving her body in a grassy area where she was later found by investigators.<\/p>\n
A timeline of events by police<\/p>\n
Surveillance footage showed Thompson<\/a> willingly getting into a black SUV at around 3 a.m. on Aug. 23, police said. The driver, believed to be Hernandez-Mendez, took the young woman to his home in the 12000 block of Kembridge Drive in Bowie.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe everything transpired in the bedroom,\u201d said George Nader, the interim chief of Prince George\u2019s County police. \u201cWhat is surrounding the two coming together, that\u2019s what we\u2019re still investigating.\u201d<\/p>\n Police believe Hernandez-Mendez brought her body to a spot near Route 50 in Anne Arundel County. That\u2019s where Maryland State Police later found a body, now identified as Thompson, on Sunday, Aug. 31 \u2014 about one week after Thompson\u2019s family reported her as missing.<\/p>\n The body was discovered as police followed up on a call about a disabled vehicle, which they believe is unrelated to the killing.<\/p>\n \u201cThat area is probably about seven miles away from the murder location, but a good distance away from where she went missing,\u201d Nader said. \u201cSo we are thankful that the Maryland State Police had the ability to locate that body based on that call for service.\u201d<\/p>\n State police contacted Prince George\u2019s County police after finding the woman\u2019s body.<\/p>\n County police identified Hernandez-Mendez as a suspect. Detectives got a search warrant for Hernandez-Mendez\u2019s home, where they said they found evidence she was killed in the bedroom.<\/p>\n Hernandez-Mendez is being held without bond. He\u2019s expected to appear at a bond hearing Monday to determine whether he should remain held, according to online court records.<\/p>\n Investigators are looking into whether Thompson and Hernandez-Mendez knew each other before Aug. 23.<\/p>\n During a Friday news conference, it was revealed Hernandez-Mendez was an immigrant without proper legal status in the U.S.<\/p>\n He was arrested by U.S. Park Police last April on a charge of driving under the influence, Braveboy said. He was released while awaiting his trial.<\/p>\n At that time, he was not detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But Nader said an ICE detainer was issued for Hernandez-Mendez on Thursday.<\/p>\n Thompson\u2019s cause of death hasn\u2019t been determined but is expected to be ruled a homicide, police said. Officials did not share details about the manner of her death.<\/p>\n There are no other suspects in her killing at this time, police said.<\/p>\n Police are asking anyone with more information to call Prince George\u2019s County police at 301-516-2512.<\/p>\n A 19-year-old who served her community<\/p>\n Prince George\u2019s County Executive Aisha Braveboy thanked the community and law enforcement for their efforts to find Thompson.<\/p>\n Thompson had graduated from St. Charles High School in Charles County.<\/p>\n She lived with her father in Lanham.<\/p>\n Thompson was participating in a \u201cService Year Option,\u201d a program launched by Gov. Wes Moore in 2023. Young adults get placed in a service position that\u2019s an area of interest, with the hope being it helps recent graduates prepare for their future career.<\/p>\n In a statement, Moore called Thompson a \u201cbright light in our state.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe yearned to be part of our mission to solve big problems with bold solutions through her passion for the arts,\u201d the governor wrote.<\/p>\n