Watsonville Man Charged In Stabbing Death Of Stepdaughter

WATSONVILLE, CA — A Watsonville man was arrested this week on suspicion of killing his stepdaughter in Miami, 16 years ago.

Raul Mata, 46, is accused of murdering Dilcia Mejía, 16, in September 2004 in Miami, the Watsonville Police Department said in a news release. Watsonville and Santa Cruz police took him into custody Monday.

Investigators encountered a grisly scene when they found Mejía's body years ago. She was found stabbed to death, her throat slit in the bedroom of her trailer home, the Miami Herald reported.

Her family long believed Mata was her killer and officials counted him as the primary suspect, the paper reported. His left forearm was covered in scratches and bruises when police arrived to the home and found no signs of forced entry.

Watsonville police helped crack open the cold case after Miami-Dade Police Department investigators obtained new physical and circumstantial evidence linking Mata to the case, police said.

An arrest warrant shows Mata's DNA was found beneath her fingernails, according the Herald.

Mata is currently being housed in Santa Cruz County Jail, but officials will seek to extradite him to Florida.

Read more at the Miami Herald.