Man arrested in Mattawa murder

MATTAWA – Grant County Detectives have arrested and charged a Mattawa man in connection with the murder of a woman near Mattawa discovered on Oct. 16. ?

Jose Abilion Aguilar Aguilar, 35, of 704 Thunderbird Way, Deseert Aire, was arrested without incident around 8 p.m. on Monday night, Oct. 29, in Mattawa. He was lodged in the Grant County Jail on suspicion of: ?First degree murder, alien in possession of a firearm, felony harassment and intimidating a witness ?

Aguilar is suspected of the murder of Carmelita Lopez Santos, described as in her 30s, of Yakima. Santos’ bare-footed body was found by a hunter in a recreation area off of Road 26 Southwest.

Santos's family provided information that led to the arrest. After learning of a dead woman, they used the sheriff’s office crimetips email to send information that Carmelita was missing.

The investigation revealed Aguilar and Santos had been in a romantic relationship, and Aguilar was allegedly upset when Santos broke off that relationship. ?

Key evidence at the crime scene were four 9mm shell casings. Aguilar was found to be in possession of such a firearm.

“The closing of this investigation was due to a huge amount if teamwork and skilled investigation, including cell phone data and interviews with several people,” said Sheriff Tom Jones.

Jones credits his deputies and detectives, the Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team, Yakima Police and the U.S. Marshals Service with teaming up to make the arrest happen.