Body Of Missing Glamour Model Found Encased In Concrete In Las Vegas Desert
Victim allegedly stumbled into kidnapper’s house before being strangled & poisoned.
Oct. 17 2019, Updated 7:04 p.m. ET
The body of a glamour model was found encased in concrete in the the Las Vegas desert, five months after she went missing, Las Vegas Police Department revealed to RadarOnline.com.
Esmeralda Gonzalez, 24, a sex worker, was last seen by her neighbors in late May, roaming around her neighborhood in lingerie and heels, looking unstable. Her brother — who reported her missing — said she suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and had been off her medication for weeks.
In her state of confusion, prosecutors believe Gonzalez stumbled into the home of Christopher Prestipino, 45, who lived about 530 feet from her own house. Once there, a source told reporters Prestipino got her high on methamphetamine. She started acting bizarre, according to the source, and threatened to call the cops on Prestipino. Worried, the criminal then tied her up to a bed post and strangled her. Shockingly, she woke up, at which point her kidnapper reportedly injected her with poison.
According to a statement provided to RadarOnline.com by the LVPD, "On July 18, 2019 detectives from the LVMPD Missing Persons Detail and LVMPD Homicide Section received information from an anonymous citizen that 45-year-old Christopher Prestipino had been involved in the disappearance of the victim."
Prestipino then called a friend to help and rented a U-Haul to dump Gonzalez’s body in the desert, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal. At that point, he had already placed the body inside a wooden box and filled it with concrete. He took off one week of work to clean up his crime.
"On October 8, 2019 Homicide Detectives located the body of the victim in a concrete and wooden structure in the desert area north of Las Vegas," the statement from authorities said.
While Prestipino’s girlfriend, Lisa Mort, 31, allegedly did not harm Gonzalez she knew of the crime, and is being charged for harboring, concealing, and/or aiding a felony offender. She is set to appear in court on October 29.
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Authorities tell RadarOnline.com Prestipino is facing charges for murder, first-degree kidnapping resulting in substantial bodily harm, and conspiracy murder, according to jail records. He appeared in court on Wednesday, October 16.
Both were arrested last week and are being held at the Clark County jail.
