Woman’s body found wrapped in tarps in shallow grave on Army base solves 18-year-old mystery with shock confession

A WOMAN’S body was found in a shallow grave on an Army base in a discovery that helped solve an 18-year-old mystery.

The remains were found on May 4, years after a shocking confession from the woman’s boyfriend.

3

3

Cynthia “Linda” Alonzo’s body was found wrapped in tarps at a work site in California. A work crew made the discovery at the Oakland Army Base.

The Alameda County Coroner’s Office performed an autopsy on May 12 to confirm that the body was Alonzo’s, according to the Alameda County District Attorney Office.

“We are relieved to have finally found Linda so the family can have a proper burial,” Deputy District Attorney Danielle London said in a statement.

Alonzo was first reported missing in 2004.

She was last seen getting into a car with her boyfriend, Eric Mora. The couple was heading to her mother’s house in San Francisco to celebrate Thanksgiving, investigators said.

Alonzo’s disappearance started out as a missing person case but quickly turned into a murder investigation, with Mora named a prime suspect.

The District Attorney’s Office filed murder charges against Mora in 2007, according to the office.

He was convicted of second-degree murder in 2012 and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison at the time.

But the conviction was overturned by an appellate court.

A second trial was ordered in March 2016, with Mora reportedly confessing to killing his former girlfriend that October.

He provided authorities with a general location of Alonzo’s body but authorities weren’t able to find the remains at the time.

Mora was later sentenced to 11 years in state prison, according to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.

Alonzo’s family was able to give her a proper burial after not knowing where her body was for almost two decades.

“After nearly 18 years of waiting, the family of Linda Alonzo may finally find some peace in knowing that their loved one can ultimately be laid to rest,” District Attorney Nancy O’Malley said.

“For too many years, Eric Mora denied killing Linda until he confessed in 2016. May Linda finally rest in peace,” the deputy district attorney who prosecuted the case added.

3