Husband Wanted In Watsonville Wife's Murder Possibly Fled Country

WATSONVILLE, CA — Investigators believe the husband and "primary suspect" in the murder of his Watsonville wife, Brenda Becerra, 24, whose body was found in her car Thursday in Santa Cruz, possibly fled the country. He is a Mexican citizen, but his whereabouts are unknown, according to authorities.

Becerra's husband, 47-year-old Cesar Hernandez, "is still our primary suspect," the Watsonville Police Department said. "Our detectives have been working around the clock since last Thursday, collecting evidence, gathering surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses."

Becerra initially was reported as a missing-person case Thursday at 3 a.m., roughly nine hours before her body was discovered in her vehicle around 12 p.m. on Mission Drive in Santa Cruz, police said. The official cause of death is not yet released.

Family members alerted police to the wife and mother's "suspicious" disappearance after Hernandez dropped off the couple's two young children at about 2 a.m. at a relative's home with little explanation, police said.

Detectives said they suspect the woman was killed on the 700 block of Rodriguez Street in Watsonville with her body subsequently driven and left in her vehicle in Santa Cruz. Hernandez is believed to be the last person to see her alive, officers said.

Watsonville police are working with the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office to file formal murder charges against Hernandez.

Anyone with information on the case (reference number 20W-03761) can call Det. Pablo Andrade at (831) 768-3354.

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