Claudia Mojarrieta Matos, a 21-year-old Cuban woman who had been reported missing last Saturday in Illinois, was discovered dead, and authorities have detained a man accused of her murder.
The search for Mojarrieta began on Saturday, December 6, at approximately 4:35 a.m., when Elmhurst police in DuPage County received a call from a man reporting her disappearance.
The man stated that he had left the young woman around 1 a.m. in the 600 block of West Lorraine Avenue to meet someone identified by police as Santino Ortiz, aged 22.
Fifteen minutes later, the caller received a distressing phone call from Mojarrieta, during which he heard a scuffle and her cries before the call abruptly ended. Upon returning to the location and failing to find her, he contacted 911 to report her missing, confirmed the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Investigators pinpointed Ortiz as a suspect, residing just a block north on West Belden Avenue, parallel to where Mojarrieta was last seen. The statement clarified this proximity.
By Saturday afternoon, Ortiz was questioned at the Elmhurst Police Department and taken into custody a mere 12 hours after the initial 911 call.
According to the prosecutor's report, Ortiz allegedly requested sexual services from Mojarrieta and arranged to meet her on Lorraine Avenue. He then took her to his garage, where he violently attacked her, striking her head against the ground and stabbing her multiple times with a knife. Afterward, he wrapped her head in a bag and disposed of her body in a trash container.
Authorities disclosed that around 8:00 a.m., Ortiz placed the body in his truck and drove to a wooded area in Wadsworth, abandoning it approximately 40 feet from the road amidst bushes and trees.
On Sunday, shortly before 6 p.m., the Lake County Coroner's Office was alerted to a grim discovery. In a wooded region near Adams and Delany streets in Wadsworth, a body was found.
The coroner identified the remains as those of Claudia Mojarrieta Matos from Greenacres, Florida, whose disappearance was under investigation by Elmhurst police.
An autopsy unveiled the gruesome manner in which Mojarrieta's life was taken: she sustained approximately seven stab wounds to her face and head.
Ortiz appeared in court on Tuesday afternoon, facing six counts of first-degree murder, one count of armed robbery, and one count of concealing a homicidal death, all serious charges, as reported by the State's Attorney's Office. Judge Joshua Dieden ordered him held without bail.
His next court date is set for January 5, 2026, before Judge Margaret O'Connell.
A Community in Mourning
The murder of Claudia Mojarrieta Matos, who had recently lived in Florida, has caused deep sorrow among her family and friends.
Telemundo 51 gathered testimonials from those close to her. A close friend named Sandra, who knew her from Cuba, commented from Houston, Texas.
"She was a person with an enormous heart, always humble, willing to help others even when she had little herself," Sandra shared, expressing her grief over the tragic outcome: "It was incredibly hard to hear."
Lilian Infante, who rented an apartment to her for a few months in Greenacres, Palm Beach County, described her as a good person, noble, with "a heart too big for her chest." She added, "It was a tremendous shock; I never imagined something like this could happen to her."
The crime's impact has also been felt in Illinois. DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin extended his condolences to the victim's loved ones: "I offer my deepest sympathies to Claudia's family and friends as they attempt to come to terms with this horrific loss."
"With utter disregard for human life, young Claudia was taken in a brutal and senseless act of violence," Berlin declared, asserting that "the type of violence alleged in this case will not be tolerated in DuPage County and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
A fundraising campaign successfully gathered the necessary funds to return the young Cuban woman's remains to her home island, allowing her mother and other family members to say their final goodbyes, confirmed those close to her.
Claudia Mojarrieta Matos was originally from Moa, Holguín.
Questions Surrounding the Death of Claudia Mojarrieta Matos
Who was Claudia Mojarrieta Matos?
Claudia Mojarrieta Matos was a 21-year-old Cuban woman who had been living in Florida and was reported missing in Illinois before being found dead.
What charges is Santino Ortiz facing?
Santino Ortiz is facing six counts of first-degree murder, one count of armed robbery, and one count of concealing a homicidal death.
How did the authorities locate Claudia's body?
Authorities were alerted to a grim discovery in a wooded area in Wadsworth, near Adams and Delany streets, where her body was found.