On December 23, 2023, 18-year-old Savanah Soto was reported as missing and later found deceased inside a vehicle. Matthew Guerra, her boyfriend, was also found deceased by authorities.
What happened to Savanah Soto?
According to News 4 San Antonio, Soto’s last known location was at her apartment complex on Grissom Rd in Leon Valley on December 22. The following day, she was supposed to arrive at the hospital for an induction, but she did not show up. As a result, an extensive search effort was launched to locate the young woman.
She was reported missing on December 25 and search teams were organized to locate her. A significant development occurred on Tuesday, when Joanie Wasil, Savanah’s sister-in-law, shared that she received a tip on Facebook about the whereabouts of Soto’s vehicle.
Wasil wasted no time in reaching the designated spot, which was an apartment complex situated on Danny Kaye Drive. She reported discovering two bodies in the vehicle and stated that they were possibly shot. Although the victims’ identities were not verified at first, it was confirmed that the unborn baby had passed away.
On December 28 at 4 pm, a vigil was organized by Soto’s family at Kenwood Park. According to Soto’s relatives, the authorities have not provided much information about the deaths, but they are believed to be investigating them as homicides.
The authorities have also disclosed the history of Savanah Soto’s partner. According to legal documents, he was put on probation for reportedly assaulting Soto on Christmas of the previous year.
Court records mention:
“You are prohibited from intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly communicating with Savannah Soto, whether by telephone, in writing, or person in a harmful or injurious manner.”
According to a neighbor of Soto and her boyfriend, the couple engaged in frequent arguments and it was also reported that Soto suffered physical abuse from her partner daily.
The neighbor mentioned,
“I witnessed him beating her and kicked her downstairs while she was unconscious. The kicked her body and face’ and ‘she needed stitches.”
According to the authorities, the corpses have been inside the vehicle for approximately three to four days. According to the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office, both Savanah Soto and Matthew Guerra passed away from gunshot injuries to the head, resulting in the loss of their unborn child.
Breakthrough In The Case
San Antonio law enforcement released a 79-second snippet of surveillance video on December 28, depicting two individuals identified as “persons of interest” in the case.
In the footage, captured shortly before midnight on December 21, one person can be seen driving a Chevrolet Silverado truck with a covered bed, while the other is operating Matthew Guerra’s Kia.
According to the authorities, the footage depicted the Chevy driving into a nearby lot where the corpses were discovered. Subsequently, the Kia arrived and parked facing the opposite direction next to the truck.
The drivers of each vehicle then exited and had a brief exchange before returning to their respective cars. After this, the Silverado trailed the Kia behind the structure.
According to a warrant affidavit obtained by KSAT, the only vehicle seen leaving the scene three minutes later was the Silverado. The affidavit stated that investigators believe Savanah Soto and Matthew were already deceased at the time the footage was recorded.
Savanah Soto’s aunt publicly implored for the investigation to not be further complicated by baseless accusations, expressing her eagerness to uncover the truth after the initial video was released.
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