Ex-Boyfriend Charged With Murder In Death Of Mt Prospect Woman: Police

MOUNT PROSPECT, IL — An ex-boyfriend of a Mount Prospect woman, whose body was found last November in the Busse Woods Forest Preserve, has been charged with felony first-degree murder. Juan Pio Toto, 26, of the 1400 block of South Brownstone Court, who was originally charged with concealment of her death, was arrested Wednesday, according to Mount Prospect police.

The body of Atalia Pucheta Martinez, 23, of Mount Prospect, was found in the Busse Woods Forest Preserve on Nov. 9, 2024. Pio Toto was charged with concealment of a death two days later, with any additional charges pending the official ruling from the CCMEO on the cause and manner of Pucheta Martinez's death.

With this ruling and additional evidence recovered by Mount Prospect detectives during the investigation, the Cook County State's Attorney Office approved the felony charge. Pio Toto will remain in the Cook County Jail until his next court date on March 24.

RELATED: Ex-Boyfriend Charged With Concealing Death Of Woman Found In Busse Woods

A motorist had noticed a person lying in Busse Woods, near Higgins Road about one mile west of Arlington Heights Road, at around 9:30 a.m. Nov. 9. The police departments of the Cook County Sheriff's Office and the Cook County Forest Preserve headed the initial investigation.

According to the Mount Prospect Police Department, officers responded to 1400 block of Brownstone Court at 1:51 p.m. for the report of a missing 23-year-old woman, identified as Pucheta Martinez. During that investigation, officers were able to confirm with the other police agencies that the missing person was the same as the person found dead in Busse Woods. Both Pucheta Martinez and Pio Toto lived in the 1400 block of Brownstone Court.

RELATED: Body Found In Busse Woods ID'd As Missing Woman

After Pucheta Martinez was identified, Mount Prospect police began conducting a death investigation. During the investigation, police interviewed Pio Toto, who the identified as an ex-boyfriend. He told detectives that in the early morning hours of Saturday, he and Pucheta Martinez had an altercation in the parking lot outside their apartment. He said Pucheta Martinez fell to the ground during the altercation and hit her head.During the investigation, Mount Prospect Police Detectives interviewed Pucheta Martinez’s ex-boyfriend, Juan Pio Toto.

According to police, Pio Toto said he placed Pucheta Martinez in the backseat of his vehicle and drove her to a wooded area, removed her from the vehicle and placed her body in a wooded area. Pio Toto said he left her in the wooded area and drove away in his vehicle.

Following his November arrest, Pio Toto was released from custody, as the felony charge of concealment of a death is not a detainable offense. Pio Toto was eventually released and placed on electronic monitoring. Pio Toto was also ordered by the judge to surrender his passport, not to leave the state, and to have no contact with Pucheta Martinez's family.