Missing Whittier found dead in Moreno Valley field; 20-year-old suspect arrested

now it takes a shooting and abduction and a tragic ending the body of a 19 year old woman found nearly 48 hours after she was kidnapped in Whittier good evening and welcome to KCAL News at 6 on CBS Los Angeles I'm Pat Harvey police say Andrea Vasquez was kidnapped early Sunday morning when a man opened fire on her and her boyfriend while they sat inside a car at Penn Park in Whittier after a desperate search her body was found last night in a field in Moreno Valley and tonight a 20 year old man

from Whittier is behind bars accused of vasquez's murder KCAL news reporter Joy Benedict is live outside the family's home where they just held a prayer vigil Joy yeah Pat I mean this is not the ending that anybody here was hoping for anybody anywhere for that matter as they were hopeful that she would be found alive but instead all day long we have seen a steady stream of family and friends and Neighbors showing up to this home in Downey trying to pay their respects this is the images of Andrea

Vasquez just 19 years old when she went missing during a shooting early Sunday morning now Family we're hoping and praying that she'd be okay but they got word just a few hours ago that the college student was not coming home investigators say Vasquez was at Penn Park and Whittier with her boyfriend when someone opened fire shooting her they say when her boyfriend went to get help and came back Vasquez was gone that led to two days of searching for Vasquez hopefully finding her alive but instea

d she was found dead and this is where this is video where her body was found in Moreno Valley in a field late last night it is near where the family had originally traced her phone to as soon as word spread of the teenager's death that is when so many here showed up to support them like we told you the saddest day of my life saddest day of my life why my daughter why her as that's what I say why her she don't she don't do nothing to nobody she was a a really good love animals and and she have a

good heart when I see the photo about this young person I I I don't I don't have you know the reason why he did this to my daughter because he's only 20 years old my daughter was 19 years old it's about the same age I don't see I don't see like what was the motive to do something like that and this is the photo of the man that the Whittier Police Department has in custody his name is Gabriel Esparza as you just heard he is 20 years old investigators say he was taken into custody at three o'cloc

k yesterday at his job they are not releasing any more information about this crime or why it happened only that they say it appears to be random there is no connection between this family and the shooter and their family again the investigation though is ongoing as they are still trying to talk to the man that they have in custody as for the family of the young woman who was shot and killed obviously they are just devastated and just starting to begin the process of figuring out how to grieve h

er death Pat that's really something thank you so much joy of our prayers are with the family