Eliezer Marquez Navedo Killed Pregnant American Tourist Sara Kuszak In Puerto Rico

Sara Kuszak, 35, of Savannah, Georgia and formerly of San Francisco, California was traveling through Puerto Rico when she was abducted and killed yesterday during a morning jog. Her killer, Eliezer Marquez Navedo, 36, confessed to the crime today. Sara’s body was found in Ceiba in eastern Puerto Rico after she made a frantic call from the trunk of her abductor’s car to a marina employee where her friend’s boat was docked. The marina employee called 911 and police arrested Marquez Navedo based on Kuszak’s description of his car, locating him by tracking the signal from Kuszak’s phone. Marquez Navedo was covered in blood, but was not immediately charged. Kuszak’s lifeless body was found in a nearby field, undressed from the waist down and with a slit throat, about an hour after her call. Marquez Navedo told police he acted alone after seeing Kuszak jogging by herself. He parked his car and opened the trunk, waiting for her to run by, then forcing her inside when she did. It’s unclear why Kuszak didn’t call 911 herself, but authorities speculate she wasn’t aware the island uses the same numeric code for emergency assistance. Kuszak had traveled to the island with her fiance Cheshire McIntosh who is an avid sailor. The two met while vacationing years ago on a South Pacific island where she was vacationing and he was sailing a yacht. She left San Francisco to be with him and sail the world. Her friend described her to reporters as, “a rolling stone.” Kuszak was five months pregnant at the time of her death. Police told the Associated Press that Marquez’s mother also served time in 1992 after confessing to slitting the throats of two children.

Police photo of Eliezer Marquez Navedo

PR Police: Man admits killing pregnant tourist [AP]