Police in Utah are searching for Hector Ramon Martinez-Ayala, a man accused of strangling his daughter, Marbella Martinez, who was a sheriff’s deputy. Marbella was found dead in her Tooele home in August, and her father is facing charges including murder, stalking, obstruction of justice, and unlawful possession of identifying documents. Martinez-Ayala fled the country after withdrawing money from his daughter’s bank account and texting his brother that he had committed an “unforgivable sin.” He was last seen on surveillance footage using his brother’s identification to board a flight to another country. Police have not disclosed which country Martinez-Ayala may be in, and he remains missing.
Authorities allege that Martinez-Ayala was controlling and obsessed with his daughter, engaging in behavior that suggested more of a jealous lover than a father. He placed a tracking device in her car and confronted her about personal items found in his room. Surveillance footage shows Marbella arriving home on July 31, but any video footage after that was deleted or nonexistent due to the disabling of the camera.
Marbella had joined the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office earlier in the year, and her death has been described as a profound loss by Sheriff Rosie Rivera. No attorney has been listed for Martinez-Ayala, and the investigation into Marbella’s death is ongoing.
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