Missing woman believed
to be victim of homicide
FREEHOLD — The Monmouth Coun-ty Prosecutor’s Office considers the Feb. 21 disappearance of a borough woman to be a homicide and is asking members of the public to come forward with any information they may have about the case.
Authorities are continuing to search for a female borough resident who also lived with the missing woman at 39 E. Main St.
According to First Assistant Prosecutor Robert A. Honecker Jr., although no body or body parts have been found, the disappearance of Diana Moreno-Acevedo, 35, of 39 E. Main St., is being treated as a homicide.
Honecker said one of Moreno-Ace-vedo’s roommates, Francisca Martinez, 37, was arrested on Feb. 21 and charged with fourth degree tampering with evidence and third degree hindering apprehension. She remains in custody at the Monmouth County jail, Freehold Township, on $27,500 bail set by state Superior Court Judge Michael D. Farren.
"We’re pursuing individuals who know the women who live there. We’ve received a number of leads that we’re following through on," Honecker said.
Police were called to the East Main Street apartment on Feb. 21 for a report of a missing Hispanic woman.
Monmouth County Prosecutor John Kaye previously told the News Transcript that later in the morning on Feb. 21, police received another call reporting that a woman was seen throwing clothing out of the window into a narrow alley.
When police officers arrived, according to Kaye, they found articles of clothing and boots that were stained with blood. Kaye said the officers observed what could have been stab holes in a shirt.
Honecker said authorities have secured personal items belonging to Moreno-Acevedo and are hoping to conduct a DNA analysis of those items in an attempt to match the blood found on the clothing that was recovered at the scene.
Moreno-Acevedo is described as being 5 feet, 3 inches tall, weighing 145 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes and fair skin. She was last seen wearing blue jeans and brown boots. She has a tattoo on her right shoulder.
Anyone with information related to her disappearance is asked to call the Mon-mouth County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at 1-800-533-7443. All information will remain confidential.
According to Honecker, Moreno-Acevedo was last seen on the morning of Feb. 20.
Monmouth County Undersheriff Adam Puharic said an immigration detainer has been placed on Martinez due to possible questions about her immigration status.
Although she is being held in the county jail, Martinez is technically in the custody of the federal Department of Home-land Security, formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service. If homeland security officials choose to, they can move Martinez and, according to Puharic, county officials could lose track of where she is being held.
— Clare Marie Celano