Through a GoFundMe page and a tri-tip sandwich fundraiser July 20, the community is rallying around the Guadalupe family of a homicide victim found in San Diego earlier this month.
Leyva Oregel Garcia, a 32-year-old mother of two girls, was last seen leaving her Guadalupe home with her estranged husband on July 1.
The family reported her missing July 2, and her body was found in a vehicle in the San Ysidro parking lot, according to San Diego Police Department detectives.
“Leyva was a hardworking, independent woman who was eager to learn and grow,” the GoFundMe page said. “She worked tirelessly to build her janitorial business, and learned the business side by attending courses through Women’s Economic Ventures of Santa Barbara.
“She was a loving and caring mother to her two daughters, and always wanted to provide the best to them. Her spirit and cheerful personality will forever be with us.”
The GoFundMe page had raised $9,400 as of Friday.
“The family is devastated by this hurtful, unexpected loss, and is not financially prepared for expenses such as maintaining a home, food, and meeting other essential needs for her daughters, who were left without a mother and father and now in the care of Leyva’s mother.”
On Thursday, the Guadalupe Kiwanis Club and Guadalupe Union School District will join forces to hold a tri-tip sandwich fundraiser for the family from 4 p.m. until sold out.
Tickets cost $10 and include a tri-tip sandwich, chips and drink at the Kermit McKenzie Intermediate School parking lot, 4710 W. Main St., Guadalupe.
Noting the wide assistance to the family, Guadalupe Police Chief Michael Cash called it “a real proud aspect of Guadalupe.”
San Diego police have identified German Armando Luna Salazar, 44, as the suspect sought in connection with the death.
Detectives believe he fled to Mexico.
San Diego homicide detectives are working with investigators from the Guadalupe Police Department and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office to determine the circumstances surrounding her disappearance from Guadalupe, and how she ended up in San Diego.
“The whole team worked on this,” Cash said Tuesday night during the City Council meeting. “The information they put into the system allowed San Diego Police Department to quickly identify the person and what had happened.”