Missing Woman Found Dead in Forest as Husband Flees Country

A California mother of three who went missing last week has been found dead, and authorities believe her husband killed her before fleeing the country.

The body of 33-year-old Sheylla Gutierrez was discovered on August 16 over the side of an embankment in Angeles National Forest, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office. Sheylla had been reported missing from her Lancaster apartment on August 12, where she lived with her husband, 36-year-old Jossimar Cabrera, and their three children.

Investigators now believe Cabrera is responsible for her death and say he has fled to Peru. Disturbing surveillance footage obtained by ABC7 and NBC Los Angeles allegedly shows him dragging a “large object” from the couple’s apartment complex just a day after Sheylla vanished.

Tragically, Sheylla is survived by her three children, who were later found safe in Peru and placed into protective custody on August 16.

According to Sheylla’s mother, Helga Rocillo, her daughter had planned to file a criminal report against Cabrera over alleged physical and psychological abuse. “She told me that Jossimar hit her, mistreated her, and even slapped my youngest grandchild, who is only 3 years old,” Rocillo told Latina Noticias.

Family members say Cabrera gave several conflicting stories about Sheylla’s disappearance. At one point, he allegedly told relatives that ICE had detained her, later claimed she left him for another man, and eventually said she “had an accident” but refused to give details.

Neighbors told NBC Los Angeles that Sheylla had confided in them about her husband’s abuse before her disappearance. “I never had any interaction with the husband,” neighbor Mario Sanchez said. “He always seemed, like, mad all the time.”

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is now reviewing the case to pursue murder charges and begin the process of obtaining the necessary documents to extradite Cabrera back to the United States.