Missing Dacara Thompson Confirmed Dead After Surveillance Footage Captured Encounter — and a Suspect Is in Custody

A body discovered in a grassy area off a Maryland road has been identified as 19-year-old Dacara Thompson, who went missing from Prince George’s County two weeks ago.

Police say a 35-year-old man is now in custody in connection with her death.

Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, of Bowie, Maryland, was arrested on charges of first- and second-degree murder, according to the Prince George’s County Police Department on Friday, Sept. 5. He is being held without bond.

At a news conference, Police Chief George Nader said Hernandez-Mendez gave investigators only “limited cooperation” when questioned.

Thompson’s family reported her missing on Aug. 23. Two days later, her car was found in Hyattsville, Maryland.

On Aug. 31, Maryland State Police began a death investigation after a woman’s body was found in a grassy area off Route 50 in Anne Arundel County. That body has now been confirmed as Thompson’s. She lived in Lanham, a suburb outside Washington, D.C.

Surveillance video shows Thompson getting into a black SUV driven by Hernandez-Mendez at around 3 a.m. on Aug. 23 in Hyattsville, near where her car was later located, Nader said. The reason she entered the SUV is still under investigation.

Detectives tracked the SUV to a home on Kembridge Drive in Bowie. A search of the residence on Thursday uncovered evidence suggesting Thompson was killed in Hernandez-Mendez’s bedroom, Nader explained. Police believe he then moved her body to the area where it was found. Authorities also confirmed Hernandez-Mendez had access to the SUV.

Officials said Hernandez-Mendez was living in the U.S. without legal status. He had previously been arrested by the U.S. Park Police in April on a DUI charge and released by federal authorities while awaiting trial. It is not known if he has an attorney.

Police have not yet determined Thompson’s cause of death, but they said evidence indicates the case will be ruled a homicide. Investigators are still working to find out whether Thompson and Hernandez-Mendez knew each other before Aug. 23.

Thompson was a graduate of St. Charles High School in Waldorf and had recently been living with her father while working at a nonprofit as part of a program for young graduates, Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy said.

“This is a young woman who dedicated part of her young life to serving others,” Braveboy said. “She was a good young woman who wanted to do good for her community. Now her community will stand behind her family as we seek justice for her.”