Florida man charged with killing girlfriend found in canal told friends she was detained by ICE

A shocking crime has recently come to light in Florida, where a landscaper named Saul Garcia Gonzalez stands accused of murdering the mother of his young child, Nerida Martel. The details of the case are truly disturbing, as it has been revealed that Gonzalez attempted to cover up his heinous act by concocting a false story about Martel being picked up by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

According to authorities, Gonzalez shot Martel in the head and then dumped her body in a Miami canal. To throw off suspicion and buy himself time, he told friends and family members that he believed Martel was possibly in the custody of ICE. However, when her name did not appear in any custody records, Gonzalez was pressured into reporting her missing.

It was only three days after claiming to have last seen Martel dropping off their 2-year-old daughter at daycare that Gonzalez finally reported her missing. Tragically, just two days after filing the missing person report, Martel’s lifeless body was discovered in a canal near their home, with a fatal gunshot wound to the head.

As investigators delved deeper into the case, they uncovered inconsistencies in Gonzalez’s story. It was revealed that Martel had reached out to a friend in search of a place to stay for herself and her daughter, hinting at potential issues in her relationship with Gonzalez. Furthermore, phone records placed Gonzalez near the canal at the time of Martel’s disappearance.

Gonzalez, a Mexican-born landscaper, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. He is currently being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. The motive behind the crime remains unclear, as does the reason why Gonzalez falsely claimed that Martel would be picked up by ICE. It is a tragic and senseless act that has left a young child without her mother and a community in shock.