Obsessed' Utah father 'strangled' Salt Lake County Sheriff's Deputy daughter to death in 'jealous rage

An "obsessed and controlling" father reportedly took the life of his daughter, then messaged his sibling admitting he'd made "a big mistake" and was "too scared." 54-year-old Hector Ramon Martinez-Ayala has faced a charge for the killing of his 25-year-old daughter Marbella Martinez , a deputy with the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Officers discovered her body in her room at the Utah residence she shared with her dad on August 1 , following concerns from her mother and uncle. The post-mortem examination concluded she was strangled . Court records reveal that Martinez-Ayala owned up to the crime in texts to his identical brother before fleeing abroad and withdrawing cash using his daughter's account.

Previous to the tragedy, the victim had stayed with her father in Tooele, just outside Salt Lake City, until his relentless texting, surveillance, and stalking forced her to temporarily live in a hotel, as stated in court papers. The filed accusations include evidence that the messages from the accused to his victim resembled those of a jealous partner more than a parent, reports the Mirror US .

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Prosecutors have revealed disturbing allegations against Martinez who apparently discovered a bag of his daughter's underwear in his bedroom last February, and later on, in mid-July, was accused of placing a tracking device on her car while she was abroad. The charging documents detail a chilling account of how he used the tracker to locate his daughter with a love interest near a hiking area on 29 July.

According to the investigation, this encounter led the young woman to seek refuge in a hotel for two nights. Detectives report that upon returning home on the morning of 31 July, after beginning a role as a corrections officer at the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office in January, the lady was strangled by her father.

The charging papers reveal the last sighting of the unfortunate victim at 12.23 pm ascending the stairs of her house, with her father, Martinez-Ayala, arriving at the property around 2.17 pm. Although security cameras quickly went offline post-Martinez-Ayala's arrival home, according to police reports, he left a trail of digital evidence including phone location data and a telling message to his twin brother.

In the message, disclosed in the legal documents, he confessed: "My brother, you know much I love you, I made a big mistake, an unforgivable sin, now I'm too scared and I don't know what to do. I think I will never come back."

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In a grim discovery, the daughter's body was located the following morning. It is alleged that Martinez flew to San Francisco , California , and then to Houston, Texas before his cell records ceased. While there are no phone records after that, the charges state that Martinez-Ayala allegedly used his brother's identification to enter an undisclosed country - and his whereabouts are currently unknown, but his last known location was outside of the US.

After reviewing the suspect's messages, investigators determined that Martinez-Ayala "was becoming increasingly obsessed and controlling" with his daughter. On Friday, he was charged in 3rd District Court with murder, two counts of obstructing justice, stalking and unlawful possession of a bank card, two counts of unlawful use of a bank card, and unlawful possession of someone else's identification.

As the search for the suspect continued and the police investigation continued, friends and colleagues of the young deputy paid tribute to her. Sheriff Rosie Rivera said: "Deputy Martinez was a dedicated member of our Sheriff's Office family. In her short time with us, she became a cherished friend and an integral part of our team. Her untimely and tragic death is a profound loss for us all.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones during this heartbreaking time. We hope that the investigation will provide answers and some measure of justice for our Deputy and her family."

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The police force noted that Deputy Martinez took her oath as a Corrections Officer on January 11, 2024, following her graduation from the academy.

They remarked on her swift display of dedication and enthusiasm for community service. The sheriff's office, currently probing Martinez's death as suspicious, also mentioned it has "mobilized peer support and employee assistance programs to help our team cope with this devastating loss."

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