A third person has been arrested in connection with the murders of pregnant teen Savanah Soto and her boyfriend Matthew Guerra, both of whom were shot just days before the baby was due to be delivered.
Myrta Romanos was charged with tampering with evidence, destroying or concealing a human corpse and abuse of a corpse, the San Antonio Police Department said in a press release on Wednesday. She is the stepmother of 19-year-old Christopher Preciado, who has also been charged in the case, ABC News reported.
Preciado is accused of using Romanos’ gun to kill 19-year-old Soto and Guerra, 22.
Both of their bodies were discovered on Dec. 27 in Guerra’s Kia Optima, parked outside a San Antonio apartment complex. Soto’s family had reported her missing on Dec. 22. They became concerned when she missed an appointment to be chemically induced, a procedure undergone by pregnant people who are either past their due date or facing some sort of medical complication.
Police released footage on Dec. 28 featuring persons of interest they sought in connection with the case. One was captured driving the victims’ Kia Optima, and the other was seen driving a dark-colored pickup truck away from where the bodies were discovered, police said.
Authorities said they were able to link Romanos to the crime thanks to surveillance footage, which shows her inside the pickup truck with Ramon Preciado, Christopher’s father. He was also arrested last week and charged with abuse of a corpse. The elder Preciado is accused of helping his son move the bodies after the murders.
While an investigation is ongoing, police have previously said the deadly violence appears to have stemmed from a drug deal gone bad.
Authorities noted that they believe everyone involved in the double-slaying is now in custody.
