The owner of the home where a 27-year-old school teacher was found dead in the trunk of a burned out car has been arrested for her murder.
Matthew Switalski, 37, was named a “person of interest” last week after finding the body in the car trunk in the garage of his Lancaster home on December 20, CrimeOnline reported.
Neighbors said Switalski was the victim’s boyfriend.
The victim was identified as Veronica Aguilar.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department launched a search for Switalski, saying he was “wanted only for questioning. But when he was found in Kern County, he was taken into custody on murder charges, KTLA reported.
Firefighters responded to the fire at about 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday. They found two burned cars in the garage, and Aguilar’s body was in the trunk of one of them.
A neighbor told KTLA that she heard a woman screaming several hours earlier.
“Around 2 a.m., I heard a blood-curdling scream,” said the neighbor, who did not wish to be identified. “I had just opened my window after I was finished with some work and when I went to go check, I didn’t hear it anymore.”
A man who said he was Aguilar’s uncle said she taught school in Palmdale.
Switalski is being held on a $10 million bail, according to KTTV.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
[Featured image: Veronica Aguilar/GoFundMe]
