Maria Ochoa

In 1993, Maria Ochoa, a 36-year-old woman, resided and worked in the Chinatown area of Salinas. Maria had been arrested many times over the years, and struggled to survive on the streets.

On October 13, 1993, Maria’s partially clothed body was found in a drainage ditch along Old Stage Road, near Potter Road. Maria had been stabbed multiple times at another location, and her body dumped where she was found.

No suspects were identified in the original investigation, but in recreating Maria’s final hours, store surveillance video was obtained, as seen in this last known photograph of Maria, believed to have been taken shortly before her murder.

Based on the violence of her death, and the location of her body, it is thought that the suspect(s) would have had to have been in close contact with Maria during her murder, and the subsequent dumping of her body.

The use of state-of-the-art forensics, including DNA extraction from hairs and Investigative Genetic Genealogy, may hold the key to identifying the person(s) responsible for her murder.

All victims of homicide, and their families, deserve justice.