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An estranged couple who used to live with their family in Pleasanton and were reported missing last week by their children in San Diego have been declared dead in what investigators initially determine to be a murder-suicide.
The bodies of Melissa Domingo Soto and Johnny Soto were found on Tuesday afternoon inside a vehicle in the parking lot of a casino about an hour east of San Diego, authorities confirmed later in the week.
San Diego police Lt. Steve Shebloski said the 52-year-old man appears to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound while the 45-year-old woman died from strangulation, “a homicide with her husband as the lone suspect in what appears to be a tragic case of domestic violence.”
Melissa Soto and Johnny Soto, who separated in July, were originally reported missing under suspicious circumstances from the San Ysidro neighborhood since the night of Dec. 20, their three children told NBC 7 San Diego in an interview around Christmas in a push to raise awareness and locate their parents. News coverage of their mysterious disappearance and the jarring conclusion a week later has resulted in headlines in national and international publications.
The family previously resided in Pleasanton before relocating to Southern California about five years ago, with their children attending local schools at the time including the oldest graduating from Foothill High School.
Shebloski said the San Diego Police Department’s Southern Division had been investigating the case since last week when family members reported Melissa Soto and Johnny Soto as missing. They were described as a married couple living separately in San Ysidro, the southernmost district of San Diego near the U.S.-Mexico border.
“The exact nature of what occurred and why they were missing is still under investigation,” Shebloski said in a press release. “There was likely a domestic violence incident prior to them being reported missing.”
Then at approximately 12:25 p.m. Tuesday, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents located a vehicle associated with the Soto case in the parking lot of the Golden Acorn Casino & Travel Center along Interstate 8 in Campo, about 65 miles east of San Ysidro. A man and a woman — later identified as Johnny Soto and Melissa Soto — were deceased inside the vehicle, according to Shebloski.
San Diego PD confirmed the discovery on Wednesday afternoon and then publicly identified Melissa Soto and Johnny Soto, as well as her cause of death, on Thursday morning. The case remains under investigation, and anyone with information can call the department’s homicide unit at 619-531-2293.
As the family mourns, Melissa Soto’s brother has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for his sister’s funeral and domestic violence support in the San Diego area. The “Paying tribute to Melissa” drive has generated more than $6,400 as of noon Thursday.
“We are devastated by this loss and are reaching out to friends, family, and the community for help. We want to give Melissa the memorial she deserves, to honor her memory and say our last goodbyes,” Leonardo Domingo wrote on the fundraising page. “Anyone that knew Melissa will tell you she was a ray of bright light and will be missed dearly.”
Johnny Soto’s sister also started a GoFundMe to support the children, who are two young adults and a teenager, during the period when Melissa Soto and Johnny Soto were still considered missing. It had raised nearly $8,000 as of Thursday afternoon.
