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SALT LAKE CITY — Family members are speaking out after the suspicious death of Salt Lake County sheriff's deputy Marbella Martinez.
Her mother, Barbara Jimenez, and sister, Marcela Martinez, spoke with KSL-TV about Marbella Martinez's death.
Marbella Martinez, 25, lived with her dad, Hector Martinez-Ayala, 54, in Tooele.
Jimenez said Marbella Martinez had a disagreement with her dad on July 30, though Jimenez wasn't sure what it was about. The next day, Marbella Martinez told her mom she wasn't feeling well and was going to call in sick for work.
"The last message I had from her was around 2 p.m.," Jimenez said, as she explained that though she lives in Belize, she was in daily contact with her daughter.
Police have said said Martinez's death is being investigated as suspicious and named Martinez-Ayala a person of interest.
"He's not in custody at this time. We're still working on locating Hector; we're working with federal and state agencies to help us," Tooele Police Cpl. Colbey Bentley said, adding there is a possibility Martinez-Ayala has fled the country.
Jimenez said Martinez-Ayala is originally from Honduras, but she does not believe he has left the country.
She said she grew concerned a few hours later and contacted her ex-husband, who at first told her their daughter was at work and then started avoiding her messages.
"He responded that he was busy and would call me back later. Then he said he was busy feeding his cats and dogs," Jimenez said. "Later, he stopped answering me."
Jimenez said she spent all night unsuccessfully reaching out to her daughter and ex-husband, so early Thursday, she contacted Martinez-Ayala's brother who lives in Salt Lake County. According to Jimenez, Martinez-Ayala's brother promised to drive to Tooele to check on the pair.
"I think he got to the house, and it was locked, so he asked me to give him 30 more minutes," Jimenez said.
Soon after, Jimenez received the call that police had discovered Marbella Martinez deceased in her bedroom and no sign of her father.
"When Marbella's uncle called me, he just said, 'I'm so sorry,' and I knew it. I could just feel something had happened to my daughter," Jimenez said. "And I know Hector did something to her. He has a temper sometimes."
"I just want justice for my daughter. She was beautiful and kind and had the rest of her life to live," Jimenez said.
The Tooele Police Department declined to comment on the case Tuesday, but on Monday confirmed Marbella Martinez was found dead inside her home in the area of 1220 E. 970 North, after officers responded to a welfare check called in by her uncle about 8:20 a.m.
Police said there were no gunshots or incidents reported the night before that would lead them to think something had happened inside the home.
"We have no reports the night before of shots fired or a suspicious person or anything like that. There was nothing beforehand that would have led us to think something may have occurred there," Bentley said.
Bentley said they are waiting for test results to determine a cause of death.
"There are some details we can't disclose right now, but there were signs to any well-trained detective of what likely occurred, so we have a pretty good idea of what we're working with," Bentley said.
"They told us it would take six to eight weeks to hear the report from the medical examiner," Jimenez said. "We don't know how she died because we weren't here when they found her. We flew in on Saturday."
Marbella Martinez was sworn in as a corrections officer with the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office on Jan. 11 after completing the sheriff's academy. She worked at the Salt Lake County Jail.
On Tuesday, Sheriff Rosie Rivera discussed Martinez's case during a Salt Lake County Council meeting and said she was in contact with family members.
"They do not plan to have any services at this time, so we are trying to work with the family, and it is just heartbreaking for them," Rivera said. "Unfortunately, with these types of cases that are ruled as suspicious, it does take some time to get a death certificate."
Rivera said the sheriff's office was offering Marbella's family financial support through a mutual aid program and the Honorary Colonels program.
A GoFundMe* account has been established to help the family.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
