Body Found In Branford Is Lizzbeth Aleman-Popoca

EAST HAVEN, CT — The body found by investigators late Wednesday night in a shallow grave near garbage bins behind a Branford restaurant is that of missing East Haven mother Lizzbeth Aleman-Popoca, police said Thursday.

Aleman-Popoca, 27, was reported missing July 3 by her family and husband, Jonnathan X. Jara-Aucapina, who said she went missing in the middle of the night July 1.

An autopsy was conducted Thursday afternoon by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. A report on the cause of death is pending. An official from the OCME told Patch early Friday said her cause of death is "pending circumstances that require further investigation."

Patch was on the scene for hours as crime scene technicians and investigators from the Connecticut State Police Major Crimes Squad flew a drone, took measurements and images, and put items in brown paper evidence bags.

At dusk, they took shovels — with a spotlight illuminating the area where police had earlier found "disturbed" earth — to dig in a small area littered with large garbage bins in the back of the parking lot at LoMonaco's Ristorante at 990 W. Main St. in Branford.

See related: Body Found In Shallow Grave Behind Restaurant

The investigation led police to the restaurant, and Lizzbeth's body

The mother of a 7-year-old daughter, Aleman-Popoca was last seen June 30 but was not reported missing until July 3. Since then, East Haven police Capt. Joe Murgo and department investigators and detectives, as well as police from the major case squad and the FBI had been working the case, Murgo said.

A neighbor of the missing woman told Patch detectives have been there for two weeks.

"They've been here all the time," she said.

Police said that Aleman-Popoca's husband said he was phoned by his daughter the morning of July 1 to say she'd awoken and her mother was not there, but said her "personal belongs" were. Two days later, he told police she was missing. Though referred to as her husband in the initial media release by police, the couple were not legally married, but he is father to her daughter, her sister told Patch. Jara-Aucapina said he was at work when he heard from his daughter. It’s reported he worked at LoMonaco's for seven years.

'My sister would never leave her baby'

Jara-Aucapina told police that his daughter woke and her mother was gone.

"My sister would never leave her baby. She would never leave her. She's her priority," said Aleman-Popoca's sister, Yaneth in an interview with Patch earlier this week. "She would have called me. We have good communication. She wouldn't leave us, leave her family without calling to say, 'Come take care of the baby.' She's not the kind of person to randomly go missing. No."

At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Aleman-Popoca's sister and father pleaded for the community's help in locating her. Jara-Aucapina was not there.

Aleman said her sister was a devoted mother. She said she's invested in her child's education and recently got her help in math and reading.

"She's really sweet, and she has good sense of humor, and she loves her baby," Aleman said of her sister. "She'd do anything for her. She's a good mother."

Yaneth Aleman said the family has been distraught and feeling helpless.

"It's indescribable" she said. "My dad is sad, and he's angry. There's lots of emotions: sadness, loneliness and anger. I feel like, I can't picture anyone else (having) to go through this because you have no idea how to deal with it."

The interview ended shortly after she said she did not "want to think something's happened to her."

See related: 'She Would Never Leave' Her Child, Sister Of Missing Mom Says

See related: East Haven Woman Missing; Foul Play Suspected

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