Surveillance video has captured the moment a Miami-Dade man was taken into custody after his partner’s body was discovered in a nearby canal. The footage shows officers moving in on 40-year-old Saul Garcia Gonzalez, who now faces a second-degree murder charge in the death of 37-year-old Nerida Martel.
Detectives say Garcia allegedly killed Martel in October before reporting her missing to authorities. The couple shared a 2-year-old daughter, who is now in the care of the Department of Children and Families. Martel’s body was found in a canal roughly three blocks from the southwest Miami-Dade home where she lived with Garcia. Investigators determined she had been shot in the head.
Martel was reported missing by Garcia on October 6. According to the police report, the statements he gave detectives about the last time he saw her were inconsistent. As the investigation continued, an officer was able to locate surveillance footage showing Garcia’s vehicle repeatedly traveling through the area surrounding the canal where Martel’s body was later found.
A family acquaintance told investigators that Martel had been looking for a place to stay with her daughter and had confided that Garcia was verbally abusive. That information became a key part of the timeline as detectives worked to determine what happened in the days leading up to her disappearance.
Garcia was arrested on Wednesday at a shopping center not far from the couple’s neighborhood. Surveillance video from the plaza shows several police cars arriving as officers approached Garcia. He put his hands behind his back and was handcuffed without incident.
An employee at the shopping center said Garcia often visited the area with his daughter. “He always came alone with the little girl. He was normal, easy to get along with. He was never disrespectful. He was pleasant,” she said. “He would come by and would always say good morning. He was always very attentive.”
She added that soon after the arrest, DCF employees arrived at a nearby daycare to take custody of the child. “The little girl is what worries me the most. Her mother has passed away, and now her father is now in jail,” the employee said.
Garcia has been denied bond and remains in custody as he awaits his next court appearance. Detectives are continuing to piece together the events that led to Martel’s death.
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