Father of Utah Police Officer Accused of Stalking and Killing Her Before Allegedly Fleeing the Country

Marbella Martinez of the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office was found dead on Aug. 1

A Utah man is facing numerous charges — and is believed to have fled the country — after his 25-year-old sheriff’s deputy daughter was found dead.

The Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office announced last month that deputy Marbella Martinez was discovered dead on Aug. 1 — less than six months after she was sworn in as a corrections officer.

At the time, the office noted that the Tooele Police Department was investigating her death as “suspicious.”

Now, over a month later, a representative for the Tooele City Police Department tells PEOPLE that Martinez’s father, Hector Ramon Martinez-Ayala, is facing numerous charges, including murder, two counts of obstruction of justice, stalking a cohabitant, unlawful possession of a financial transaction card, unlawful use of a financial transaction card, and unlawful possession of another person’s identifying documents.

Authorities allege that Martinez-Ayala strangled his daughter, and they said that they have “confiscated numerous items of interest to Hector, including his vehicle.”

Related: Utah Couple with 6 Children Found Dead by Relative in Apparent Murder-Suicide: ‘Many Are Devastated’

Martinez was initially discovered by police after 8 a.m. on Aug. 1, when authorities responded to a welfare check, according to ABC affiliate KTVX.

Her body was discovered on her bed with “apparent fingernail claw marks” on her face and neck, KSL said.

Martinez lived with her father and returned to his home around 11 a.m. on July 31, and was then last seen on an indoor camera around 12:23 p.m., before Martinez-Ayala pulled up to the house at 2:17 p.m., per the outlet.

KSL, citing prosecutors, added that any footage recorded after her father’s return home “was deleted or never existed because of the disabling of the cameras after his arrival.”

In court documents obtained by the Associated Press, prosecutors allege that Martinez-Ayala had engaged in stalking behavior for months. They added that “text messages from the defendant to the victim are more of the nature of a jealous lover than a father.”

The court documents, per the AP, allege that his daughter found a bag of her underwear in his room, and that Martinez-Ayala placed a tracking device on her vehicle to find her at a hiking area with a romantic interest.

Per KTVX, the father is believed to have disposed of Martinez’s phone on his way to the Salt Lake City Airport, as it was discovered alongside I-80.

Prosecutors say he traveled to San Francisco and next Houston, before allegedly using his twin brother’s identification when he landed in another country, per the reports. His “last known location” was outside of the U.S., KSL reported.

Related: Utah Woman Accused of Killing Parents and Telling Police, ‘I Would Do It Again. I Hate Them’

In a statement last month, Sheriff Rosie Rivera said, “Deputy Martinez was a dedicated member of our Sheriff’s Office family. In her short time with us, she became a cherished friend and an integral part of our team. Her untimely and tragic death is a profound loss for us all.”

She added, “Our thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones during this heartbreaking time. We hope that the investigation will provide answers and some measure of justice for our Deputy and her family.”

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