Grisly Details About Dacara Thompson's Death, Suspect's Immigration Status

BOWIE, MD — A undocumented immigrant charged with murder in the death of 19-year-old Dacara Thompson, of Lanham, was arrested previously by Park Police for driving while impaired and was released rather than being deported, according to reports.

Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, 35, was charged Friday with first- and second-degree murder in Thompson's death. He is to appear in court for a bail hearing Monday.

An autopsy showed Thompson suffered skull and facial fractures, according to unredacted charging documents obtained by The Washington Post. An official cause of death has not been released by the medical examiner.

NBC Washington reported Hernandez-Mendez had been arrested by U.S. Park Police after he was stopped April 25 on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway near Annapolis Road for a suspected DUI. The federal government released him pending trial, Prince George's County officials said.

The U.S. attorney for Maryland would not comment, NBC Washington said. ICE released a statement saying Hernandez-Mendez was put under an immigration detainer Thursday.

The Washington Post said a spokesperson at DHS confirmed in a statement that ICE has lodged an arrest detainer against Hernandez-Mendez, who is from Guatemala. According to the spokesperson, he had arrests “for driving under the influence and failure to maintain control of a motor vehicle to avoid a collision” in May 2022.

In the statement, DHS condemned the county’s “sanctuary policies” and claimed that it “historically does not cooperate with ICE.”

Aisha Braveboy (D), Prince George’s County executive, said the suspect was arrested for drinking under the influence as an undocumented immigrant, but was released pending trial, criticizing federal authorities.

“The U.S. government has made status of individuals relevant,” Braveboy said during a news conference. “This was someone who was in their custody, and they made the decision to release him.”

Thompson's Last Hours, Death

Thompson's family reported her missing on Aug. 23 after last seeing her the day before.

Police say Thompson was killed in Hernandez-Mendez 's bedroom in a house in Bowie after they met in a parking lot around 3 a.m. Thompson left her vehicle at a meeting spot in Hyattsville and entered Hernandez-Mendez's black GMC Yukon Denali. They then drove together to a home where Hernandez-Mendez was staying with relatives, court documents show.

Cell data and video surveillance confirmed Thompson’s movements and the movements of the black Yukon Denali are consistent with moving together, documents say.

Her phone was deactivated around 5 a.m., documents show.

Court documents said Thompson's naked body was found Aug. 31 by Maryland State Police along the South River embankment in Annapolis, around 30 feet below the bridge. The body's tattoos and jewelry matched those of Thompson.

Detectives found Hernandez-Mendez's GMC in front of that same home Sept. 3 when they were going to execute a search warrant. A man got into the vehicle and left. Police conducted a traffic stop on that vehicle in the early morning hours of Sept. 4 and arrested Hernandez-Mendez. The suspect told police he'd been at the Galaxy Night Club in Hyattsville, which is across the street from the Family Dollar where Thompson got into his GMC. He told detectives he was supposed to meet up with his ex-girlfriend but never did, court documents said.

DC News Now reported that one person at the home where Hernandez-Mendez was staying said they were cousins with him and two others. The person told reporters that Hernandez-Mendez has a drinking and drug problem. A second person staying at the home told DC News Now they recalled hearing Hernandez-Mendez having sex with someone at around 5 a.m. on Aug. 23.

Court documents stated that “sexual intercourse [was] heard coming from [Hernandez-Mendez’s] bedroom which sounded as if someone was not enjoying it," DC News Now reported. After waking up a few hours later, one of the residents said they walked outside and saw that the suspect's SUV was not parked outside the house, which was strange because he doesn't work Saturdays.

USA Today said police found identification cards with Hernandez-Mendez’s name on them inside a bedroom of the home where they executed a search warrant and where there also was “suspected blood evidence,” court documents say.

Investigators also found a fake French manicure-style fingernail on the floor, matching the same nails Thompson had when she was found, and hair in a trash bag matching a wig she appeared to be wearing in the surveillance video, The Washington Post disclosed.

Police said in the charging documents that they also tested for “possible blood evidence” in the Denali, which came back positive on the passenger front seat. An autopsy revealed skull and facial fractures, according to unredacted charging documents obtained by The Washington Post.

Relatives With Ties To Suspect Investigated

WUSA spoke with an individual claiming to be married to a cousin of Hernandez-Mendez and lives in the same house. She said under anonymity that in the past two weeks, Hernandez-Mendez' behavior had changed. Her husband, Hernandez-Mendez and a third relative were taken in for questioning by investigators on Thursday. Hernandez-Mendez was the only one not released.

The next morning, federal immigration agents were back at the home, but this time to take the woman's husband into custody.

"They did not have a order for my husband or a warrant for me. They simply handcuffed him and took him," she said, with two of her young children at her side.

The woman insisted her husband has nothing to do with the alleged crime, and that he fully cooperated in the criminal investigation. She told WUSA her husband is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico who overstayed his visa with no criminal history.

Related:

• 'Possible Connection' Between Body Found And Missing Dacara Thompson
• Missing Woman Confirmed Dead, Bowie Man Charged With Murder

Thompson's Parents Search For Daughter

On Aug. 22, Thompson left her dad's home to get gas. Speaking with CBS affiliate WUSA, Dacara's father said that after an hour had passed the night she went missing without her return, he called her, but she didn't pick up. By 11:50 p.m., he texted her to say he was going to bed and wanted to check on her.

He told WUSA she responded immediately and wrote, "I should be back soon. I love you too. Goodnight <3."

Police found her vehicle in Hyattsville the day after she was reported missing, Prince George's County Police Department Interim Chief George Nader said during a news conference Sept. 3. Thompson was last seen on surveillance footage parking her 2013 white Ford Edge SUV in Hyattsville on Aug. 23. She was seen walking toward Riggs Road, then vanished. Her car was found two days later parked across from the Chillum-Aldephi Volunteer Fire Station, reports said.

Her wallet and house keys were in her vehicle. All she had with her was her phone. but she hadn't called or texted family for a week, which was unlike her, the family said.

Thompson had graduated from St. Charles High School and at the time of her death, she was working for a Prince George’s non-profit. A GoFundMe originally created by her mom, Carmen Thompson, to hire investigators to help find Thompson has now been changed to helping pay for funeral services and burial costs.

"It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of our beloved Dacara Thompson. This sudden and tragic turn has left our family devastated," her mom wrote on the GoFundMe page. "Dacara was a beautiful, kind-hearted young woman who brought joy to everyone around her, and her absence has created a void that words can't fill. During the days she was missing, we held onto hope, but now we must focus on honoring her memory with the dignified farewell she deserves. Your gracious support will help to cover funeral services and burial expenses."