The remains of a Kearns woman missing since Feb. 6 who police say was kidnapped and killed were recovered last week.
That announcement was made Friday by the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office as four more people were charged in connection with the killing of Conzuelo “Nicole” Solorio-Romero, 25.
Carolina Marquez, 38, of Salt Lake City, and her son Fernando Marquez, 22, of Kearns, were charged Friday in 3rd District Court with murder, obstruction of justice and aggravated kidnapping, all first-degree felonies.
New court documents indicate that Carolina Marquez may have ordered Solorio to be kidnapped because the woman owed her money.
Carolina Marquez, 38, who police say was the victim of a kidnapping in 2019, was arrested Tuesday, March 23, 2021, in connection with the kidnapping and killing of Conzuelo “Nicole” Solorio-Romero, 25, of Kearns, in February. Marquez owns Tacos Mi Caramelo in West Valley City.
Salt Lake County Jail
In addition, Carolina Marquez, Cristian Noe Morales-Gonzales, 26, address unknown, and Ivan Jesus Acosta, 27, of Salt Lake City, were charged Friday with abuse or desecration of a dead body, a third-degree felony. Acosta and Morales were also charged with obstructing justice, a first-degree felony.
Cristian Noe Morales-Gonzales, 26, who goes by the moniker “The Mechanic,” became the sixth person arrested Thursday, March 26, 2021, in connection with the kidnapping and killing of Nicole Solorio-Romero.
Salt Lake County Jail
They join Orlando Esiesa Tobar, 29, from Honduras, and Jorge Rafael Medina-Reyes, 21, who were charged on Feb. 23 with aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping and obstructing justice, all first-degree felonies. In a case with lots of nicknames, Tobar is known as “Chaparro” and Medina-Reyes goes by the monikers “Moreno” and “the Venezuelan.” Morales is known as “the Mechanic.”
Solorio was forcibly taken from her home at 5133 W. 5400 South at gunpoint or at knifepoint on Feb. 6 by Tobar and Medina, charging documents state.
Fernando Marquez, 22, of Kearns, was charged Friday, April 2, 2021, with murder in the kidnapping and killing of Conzuelo “Nicole” Solorio-Romero, 25, of Kearns, in February.
Salt Lake County Jail
According to new court documents filed Friday, after he was arrested, Tobar told police “that Carolina Marquez instructed him and Medina-Reyes to pick up Nicole because she owed Carolina Marquez money.”
From there, Marquez told the group to “kill time” because she wouldn’t be available for a few hours. So they drove Solorio “to the Wyoming border and back,” the charges say.
She was eventually taken to a studio apartment in West Valley City at 1136 W. Elba Ave., which is Carolina Marquez’s residence, and was shot in the head, according to charging documents.
Ivan Jesus Acosta, 27, was arrested Tuesday, March 23, 2021, for investigation of kidnapping in in the kidnapping and murder case of Conzuelo “Nicole” Solorio-Romero, 25, of Kearns, in February.
Salt Lake County Jail
Before being shot, “(Tobar) was questioning Nicole regarding what she told police that resulted in one of his close associates being arrested and taken into federal custody. Nicole denied talking to police. The state has verified through police records, however, that the named individual was arrested and is in federal custody, and that the individual was a relative of Carolina Marquez,” charging documents filed on Friday state.
According to federal and state court records, Antonio Marquez, 19, was indicted on federal firearms charges. He was also charged in 3rd District Court in July with theft by receiving stolen property. Carolina Marquez was also arrested on Dec. 16 for investigation of obstruction of justice after allegedly refusing to cooperate with authorities who had a federal warrant for Antonio’s arrest.
Orlando Esiesa Tobar, 29, from Honduras, who goes by the moniker “Chaparro,” was charged Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in 3rd District Court with aggravated murder and aggravated kidnapping in the disappearance and death of 25-year-old Conzuelo “Nicole” Solorio-Romero, of Kearns. Jorge Rafael Medina-Reyes, 21, (not pictured) believed to be from Venezuela, faces the same charges.
Salt Lake County Jail
As Tobar and Medina continued to hold Solorio inside the studio apartment, she accused them of murdering her husband, the charges state.
“(Tobar) stated that she knew too much, and she was not going to leave that apartment. (Tobar) then moved his head to the side of Nicole and Moreno shot Nicole in the back of the head,” the charges state. “Witnesses heard Tobar say that he had to shoot Nicole a second time. Nicole’s body was next seen by witnesses wrapped in black plastic garbage bags being loaded into the back of a landscape trailer attached to a white pickup truck. They did not see her again.”
After Solorio was killed, the group went to Tacos Mi Caramelo, 1808 W. 3500 South, the business that Carolina Marquez owns. While there, Tobar called “the Mechanic” or Morales to help him dispose of Solorio’s body, the charges state.
Court documents filed Friday state that “on March 26, 2021, detectives located a body wrapped in black plastic garbage bags consistent with witness statements of the shooting, the efforts made to dispose of Nicole’s body, the black garbage bags given to Tobar as seen on video, and black garbage bags recovered from Tacos Mi Carmelo. The body was later determined to be Nicole” Solorio-Romero.
Charging documents do not say where her body was found. Her remains were found a day after Morales was arrested. His arrest occurred on the same day that numerous police officers from several agencies — including Unified police — were spotted by witnesses in Tooele County south of the Tooele Army Depot along state Route 73. Witnesses told the Deseret News that tents were set up and an area sectioned off with yellow police tape.
Police recovered the gun believed to have been used to kill Solorio. It had been reported stolen out of Vernal a year earlier, police say.
“The pistol had been soaked in a chemical that had started corroding the gun,” according to the charges.
Jorge Rafael Medina-Reyes, 21, believed to be from Venezuela who goes by the moniker “Moreno,” were charged Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in 3rd District Court with aggravated murder and aggravated kidnapping in the disappearance and death of 25-year-old Conzuelo “Nicole” Solorio-Romero, of Kearns. Orlando Esiesa Tobar, 29, from Honduras, (not pictured) faces the same charges.
Salt Lake County Jail