SALINAS, California — On Tuesday, around 6:00 PM, Monterey County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the Prune-Tree Shopping center in Prunedale after suspicious circumstances were reported alleging there was possibly a deceased body in a trunk of a vehicle parked at that location.
Monterey County Deputies arrived confirming there was a homicide victim in the trunk of a vehicle parked there and the driver, identified as 24-year-old Erick DeAnda, had admitted that he had killed his mother and concealed her body in the trunk of her car.
The investigation revealed that Erick DeAnda resides with his family on Douglas Ave in Salinas to include his mother identified as Lilia DeAnda (53). During an argument at the residence on Douglass Ave., Erick strangled his mother (Lilia) to death and then concealed her body in the trunk of her car.
With the intent of driving the vehicle to an undetermined location to light the car on fire, Erick may have gone to a gas station to fill a gas can to use as an accelerant.
Around that time, other family members arrived at home and started to become concerned about Lilia missing from the residence and started to call Lilia’s cellphone to inquire her whereabouts.
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Erick coincidentally answered Lilia’s phone and admitted to family members that he had killed mom and placed her body in the trunk of the car. Family members ultimately called police and Erick was contacted at the Prunedale shopping center.
It is suspected that Erick may have driven his mothers car to a Monterey County gas station to fill a gas can. It is believed that he had driven to a Shell gas station in south Monterey County (possibly Gonzales or Soledad).
The vehicle Erik was driving was a 2012 Dark Gray/Black Toyota Corolla with CA license plate 6WJP260.
Salinas Police Investigators are asking anyone who may have seen this vehicle driving or at a gas station filling a gas can to call police to report this sighting.
Erick DeAnda was booked at Monterey County Jail for murder.
Anyone who may have information that could help with this investigation is urged to call the Salinas Police Department Investigations Division at (831) 758-7226.
