The Disappearance and Murder of Beatriz Espinoza

25-year-old Beatriz Espinoza vanished from Norcross, Georgia on March 24th, 2017. She was last heard from around 10:00 AM on that day, when she spoke to her sister on the phone. At that time, Beatriz was with her three-year-old son, while her sister was watching her older son. Beatriz told her sister that her three-year-old son was sick, and she would be coming by to get her older son soon - but she never showed up. She was never seen alive by her loved ones again.

Around 11:00 AM the following day, Beatriz’s three-year-old son was found wandering around by himself at a shopping center near their home. Beatriz was still nowhere to be found. She was subsequently reported missing to the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department. Shortly thereafter, it was learned that Beatriz had never shown up for work the previous evening. Her vehicle was found in its normal spot at her home.

A family friend later told police that Beatriz’s three-year-old son’s backpack, which was found in Beatriz’s car, contained bags of methamphetamine and marijuana. This lead many to fear that drugs might’ve played a role in Beatriz’s disappearance. The same friend also reportedly received a phone call from an unidentified man in Mexico, who said that Beatriz owed him $30,000 and he wanted it back.

A few months later, a man walking his dogs in Clayton County found two bodies in a wooded area. For nearly two years, it was unclear if the bodies were connected to Beatriz's disappearance. Initially, it did not appear as such - since Clayton County is miles away from where Beatriz vanished in Gwinnett County. 

However, in June 2019, one of the sets of remains was confirmed to be that of Beatriz Espinoza. Authorities also confirmed that Beatriz was a victim of homicide. This news was shocking and inevitably devastating to Beatriz's loved ones, who hoped to find her alive. 

Since the identification of her remains, news about Beatriz's case has been minimal. There is very little information about the other set of the remains. What is known is that the victim is a male.

In 2019 it was reported that "the identity of the other victim is unknown, and it is not known if that victim was connected to Espinoza-Fuentes in any way." Years have passed since this report, so it's unclear if there have been any updates about the other victim's identity. 

Beatriz's murder case remains unsolved. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact Gwinnett County Police detectives at 770-690-9496. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477.

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Sources:
11 Alive
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Charley Project
Patch