Found Deceased TX - Savanah Soto, 18, Leon Valley, 22 December 2023

[imstilla.grandma]

Guerra’s family, meanwhile, told KSAT that despite mistakes in his past, he was trying to turn his life around. The Express-News wrote Guerra was on probation after pleading guilty to an assault charge on Soto last Christmas.

His father, Gabriel, said Guerra never “put his hands” on Soto while she was pregnant.

“I and Matthew would have talks in the last two, three months about what kind of changes he wanted to make, what kind of dad he wanted to be, what kind of sports he wanted Fabian in,” Gabriel Guerra said. Fabian was the name of the couple’s unborn son

Search continues for persons of interest in Savanah Soto case

One person of interest was driving a dark-colored pickup truck, the other a silver Kia Optima.

www.newsnationnow.com

At a vigil in San Antonio on Thursday, Savanah's grandmother, Rachel Soto, described Savanah as a “funny girl” and said she loved everybody and loved to live life.

“I just pray to God that she took her baby with her and that she is at peace,” Rachel Soto said

Texas police release new footage in murder investigation

Pregnant woman, boyfriend found shot

norwalkreflector.com

 

[Cyber sleuth]

My thoughts were that the Kia driver was signaling the truck, just to assure the truck this was THE vehicle. The truck was prepared to take care of something to do with the vehicle, most especially to remove something, but also to hand over either a roll of paper towels or a white towel and it looks as though it was used to wipe down the left side of the vehicle under the passenger door, where both are bent down briefly, as though examining the left passenger window or door.

It looks to me that both the people touch the edge of the driver's door, too.

Thanks I agree. I do think this was odd like perhaps they didn’t have a plan as to where they were planning to abandon the car. Strange to wipe down car and then continue to drive. Only to abandon in same complex. I assume it was wiped down again before left. I do think the murder weapon was exchanged during the video clip.
This doesn’t seem organized-although the truck driver doesn’t seemed fazed.

I’m guessing the Kia driver thought they had reached the “destination” ???
(The video released by the Police)

IF, I have my “orientation” correct ????? With the map, the Chevey must have done a U Turn in the car park lot, to be situated there when the KIa arrived …. Would that be correct???? (And then the Chevy proceeded to exit the complex)
The Kia driver was told to dump the Kia a bit further down and around the corner to the right???

Do you think the Chevy Driver picked up the KIa Driver, (as he appears to drive off…) after dumping the car ???? Maybe on Rue Burgundy???

Or what would be the most likely exit for the Kia driver after dumping the Kia? (the person may have also been captured on ring camera walking past.? )

IMO, and hope that makes sense !!!

I think the driver parked the Kia shortly after the video and left on foot. May even live nearby or have friends nearby.
I am not seeing this as a pre-planned, well organized murder. It may have been something that just set someone off and they had no real plan for disposal. If it indeed a female that is driving the Kia with deceased victims then I can’t help but think this may have been some sort of jealous revenge. The timing of this murder right before giving birth seems very personal.

 

[Friday Fan]

Shouldn’t the Police be able to work “backwards”, from the destination point??? (especially with the footage they have shown of Chevy… they should also so be able to backtrack the Kia the same way …. IMO)

Would traffic cameras have a week’s recorded images stored?? Given that they thought the car had been there for approx 4 days ….
(In Aus, you can easily get an image of a week prior, from Point to Point highway cameras, (longer than that is more difficult ..)

I feel certain that with the current footage, they know exactly the time and date the car was dumped there …



I have looked up the sunset time and it’s fairly early in the evening … approx 17:45pm, so it gets dark there pretty early IMO ..but I would assume it was a late night drop off …. Less prying eyes…

IMO

Edit to add: Or are there too many backstreets in that area for that to occur ???

Traffic cameras do not record here. They only have sensors and timers for lights. Leon Valley has a few, but they only record if you run a red light.

 

[Cyber sleuth]

That’s why I have a hard time believing this was a huge setup. Maybe, and maybe they didn’t plan the ending well. Who on earth would want to drive two dead bodies elsewhere? You could easily be pulled over for something you’re unaware of like if the Kia had a tail light out, or get caught in a traffic delay because of an accident and have to sit there or creep through slow moving traffic with police and bright lights all over. No way.

I agree the heavyset man seems older and while older folks are indeed part of drug rings and such, it did strike me as a “help, I need some cleanup” but they weren’t next to each long enough to do a cleanup of the entire car. Something was removed from the car and placed in the truck. Gun? Quick wipedown of car exterior which I’m sure was not thorough.

I agree with you. Seems very unorganized and no effort was made to conceal their identities. I think someone’s older male relative that used to be on a gang got a late night phone call to bail out somebody that was hot headed.

 

[Friday Fan]

Thanks I agree. I do think this was odd like perhaps they didn’t have a plan as to where they were planning to abandon the car. Strange to wipe down car and then continue to drive. Only to abandon in same complex. I assume it was wiped down again before left. I do think the murder weapon was exchanged during the video clip.
This doesn’t seem organized-although the truck driver doesn’t seemed fazed.

I think the driver parked the Kia shortly after the video and left on foot. May even live nearby or have friends nearby.
I am not seeing this as a pre-planned, well organized murder. It may have been something that just set someone off and they had no real plan for disposal. If it indeed a female that is driving the Kia with deceased victims then I can’t help but think this may have been some sort of jealous revenge. The timing of this murder right before giving birth seems very personal.

Yeah, they were familiar with the area. MOO

 

[Cyber sleuth]

Yeah, they were familiar with the area. MOO

Then you can bet that people recognize the suspects. The question is- will anyone be willing to report them?

 

[Curious Me]

I don't know about this belly. I think he is a big guy, but, still seems like either stuff is in the shirt or a Vest is under it.
Not that it really matters..its just odd.


Screenshots from vid-

San Antonio police searching for two persons of interest in Savannah Soto case

Soto and her boyfriend Matthew Guerra were found shot to death after going missing the week before Christmas.

www.kvue.com

View attachment 471043

@Heaven Leigh, thank you, giving you the credit for initially posting the pic of heavy man, or woman, or "goat". Just joking, no goat.​

...I noticed that too, and the photo posted by @Curious Me almost shows an outline,...​

I can't take the credit for the initial pic. When I reposted it I had to copy and paste it outside the quote so it'd show up. Don't want to slight the initial member who posted it.

ETA-- Pannus stomach is also called "apron belly", but I just don't think it looks loose enough to be just that, an apron of skin. It has full volume filled with fat, or it's a fake belly carrying something, not just skin. "but excess skin is left behind which hangs loosely over the area." I may not fully grasp the description on Pannus Stomach.

So, you see maybe that something around the shoulder area looks off, too. I think the shoulders look too squared off. I also sometimes think heavy truck perp moves a touch graceful for a burly man, and it makes me wonder. What do you think, @Unsolved? However, I have known some heavy people that move rather dainty for their size. I guess there's no absolutes yet. Some of us see some things different than others.​

 

[mst]

I still think they went out to do a quick deal. Dealers don't jump in the car to meet strangers somewhere in the dark. It was someone he dealt with before or a friend of someone he knows well. Well enough to trust their referral. No dealer is going to do a hand to hand transaction out the window and risk being seen by LE. No dealer is going to let someone into their back seat and stay in the drivers seat where the only view of the buyer is the rear view mirror. If it wasn't a deal then it could have been MG meeting up to pay his supplier. His phone would hold the key. Last number called or texted. Hopefully LE can get the records

 

[SLouTh]

As per this article, Police also seem to think the car was wiped down for prints too …

Surveillance video already showed what investigators believe happened after the young couple was killed elsewhere. Detectives believe Savanah and Matthew were already dead when the video was taken. Police think the two people seen in the footage wiped the car down to get rid of fingerprints before ditching it with Savanah and Matthew’s bodies inside.

Snip…

The relationship between the persons of interest and victims is still unclear.

'Persons of Interest' identified in murder of pregnant teen and her boyfriend

We're learning new information on the capital murder case of pregnant 18-year-old Savanah Soto and her 22-year-old boyfriend Matthew Guerra.

news4sanantonio.com

Unsure if comments by Jennifer Coffindaffer (ex FBI) are allowed ? But I have seen her mentioned on WS before, in other cases ….

In her latest tweet on this case she says this ……

It was also confirmed by LE that Matthew and Savanah were killed before they met with the people in the video that was released to the public.

https://x.com/CoffindafferFBI/status/1741207624194850956?s=20

IS this implying the folks shown in the Police “released video” were for the “clean up“ only?

IMO

Edit to add:

JC also says in the comments -
There was another meeting we did not see.

 

[lmdough]

As per this article, Police also seem to think the car was wiped down for prints too …

Surveillance video already showed what investigators believe happened after the young couple was killed elsewhere. Detectives believe Savanah and Matthew were already dead when the video was taken. Police think the two people seen in the footage wiped the car down to get rid of fingerprints before ditching it with Savanah and Matthew’s bodies inside.

IS this implying the folks shown in the Police “released video” were for the “clean up“ only?

IMO

I watched the news conference, if you go back, I recall a reporter asking that question and it was affirmative in the way it was answered. Just that the police thought they were already dead at the time of the meetup. Also, if I am not directionaly backwards, I believe the drop off of the car was just straight ahead and to the left of the direction the Kia was heading. My take is they were probably killed earlier in the day and dropped off after dark. There appears to be a lot of light but that area is super dark, just the CCTV picking up reflections.

 

[mst]

Theory floating and I'm leaning that way is that car and truck met so that big guy could verify that they were dead, job completed

 

[iamshadow21]

Unsure if comments by Jennifer Coffindaffer (ex FBI) are allowed ? But I have seen her mentioned on WS before, in other cases ….

In her latest tweet on this case she says this ……

It was also confirmed by LE that Matthew and Savanah were killed before they met with the people in the video that was released to the public.

https://x.com/CoffindafferFBI/status/1741207624194850956?s=20

IS this implying the folks shown in the Police “released video” were for the “clean up“ only?

IMO

Edit to add:

JC also says in the comments -
There was another meeting we did not see.

RSBM

I don't know how they could know this unless they knew who the people were and had video of the actual killing. Which seems at odds with asking the public for help identifying them.

MOO

 

[Curious Me]

....Police think the two people seen in the footage wiped the car down to get rid of fingerprints before ditching it with Savanah and Matthew’s bodies inside....

@SLouTh , you're right that LE did say that. I would think the perps in that car thought to wear gloves which would make clean up a bit easier. Gee, did the perps not wear gloves or worry about DNA evidence?

Heavy perp wasn't just confirming the dead. We know for a fact that something was taken from the Kia, and heavy perp put it in the truck before driving off.

Kia and truck stopped, but that quick wipe down must've been only the first initial wipe down, and maybe a gun hand off was more the agenda. True that truck back seat perp wanted to hand off a towel. Yet, from what we got to see, that wasn't much of a wipe down of the car, so I have to assume whatever evidence went in the truck may have been the main objective of that stop.​

 

[SLouTh]

RSBM

I don't know how they could know this unless they knew who the people were and had video of the actual killing. Which seems at odds with asking the public for help identifying them.

MOO

I don’t know either …. But I sure would like to see footage of the “other meeting” ….. I am wondering if this “other meeting” was prior to dumping the car meeting that we have seen footage of ?????

It seems very messy to me .. to be a “hit” … (not that I would actually know !!! )
and agree with Cyber Sleuth that the whole thing did not appear very well planned …. Especially the end …

I would have thought that the perp would have wiped the gun clean and left it there in position to lead the Police down the path of murder suicide .. at least initially … to buy time…
But to me, the perp couldn't have been that confident ??? (Or maybe wiping a gun clean is much harder than I imagine??? )

IMO

 

[justwannahelp]

This parent (me) gave up monitoring a long time ago and operates fully on trust. In the end, children easily have enough knowledge obtain and use a social media platform that I have never heard of and then conceal it on their phones in a way that I would never find.

yeh. I’m not great at it. I tell them what i don’t want them on. But i don’t search devices. My husband has set parental controls on things though. I’m sure they know how to turn that off…

We have 5 kids and they all rat each other out though, so that helps. Heh heh.

I’ve never once 360ed my kids, but they 360 me because they don’t believe me when i say I’m on my way. Lol. I have the 3 with phones on 360 so if ever they for real go missing…….God for bid


My husband did delete tik tok, and today I reminded my 11 year old no tik tok and no Snapchat or discord either. and now that i know about telegram, i added that to the list of nos. Lol!

 

[justwannahelp]

I can’t help but wonder if the CLEAR Alert was issued earlier, then S,M,&F, would have been found much sooner???

(It only took a little over 24hours after the CLEAR Alert was issued to find the car, and possibly only hours, after the correct number plate was issued ?)



On Christmas Day at around 4 p.m., the Department of Public Safety issued a CLEAR Alert for Soto.

The alert stated Soto was last seen in a 2013 Gray Kia Optima. The initial alert gave the temporary Texas license plate number of 4289D57, but an updated alert issued on Tuesday added another license plate number TRC9447, KSAT reported. Soto’s family organized a search of the area near her apartment on Christmas night, the Associated Press stated.

Joanie Wasil, Soto’s sister-in-law, told KSAT that on Tuesday night, someone contacted her through Facebook and said they saw the Kia Optima in the parking lot. She contacted the police as she and her family made their way to the scene.

Missing San Antonio teen found dead in vehicle with boyfriend was ‘excited’ to be a mom: What we know about Savanah Soto

San Antonio police are investigating after Savanah Soto, a pregnant teen whose disappearance prompted a CLEAR Alert, was reportedly found dead inside a vehicle with her boyfriend Tuesday.

www.click2houston.com

All IMO

I also wonder how the temporary licence plate fits into the story ???

Good sleuthing!

 

[Curious Me]

...It may have been something that just set someone off and they had no real plan for disposal. If it indeed a female that is driving the Kia with deceased victims then I can’t help but think this may have been some sort of jealous revenge. The timing of this murder right before giving birth seems very personal.​

Red sectioned by me-- that did cross my mind. SS & MG were a couple for awhile though. Is what you're speculating that there might've been a jealous other woman?

I have asked why them as a couple, not just him. Why did SS have to be collateral damage if this was planned right and they just wanted to off MG they could've. Why couldn't they pick a time and take him alone and leave her? MOO, these homicides scream local people-- bet the perps are familiar with the area and the victims. Yes, very personal to kill this very pregnant woman probably knowing about her large family and the loss of her bro. The timing breaks the hearts of many, she was suppose to be giving birth. It was suppose to be a happy occasion for all the families.​

 

[justwannahelp]

Their apartment was in the 6000 block of Grissom Road. The Colinas at Medical Apartments are at 5903 block of Danny Kaye.

It is a 2.9 to 3.1 mile direct drive. 9-10 minutes by the two direct routes. Routes go through residential areas, both single family homes and apartments. A few open parking lots for schools or churches. A couple of small parks. No obvious really isolated industrial areas between the two.

Near the apartment complex is an area of older homes with large lots that seems like they would be remote, but El Verde road has the brand new Leon Valley Police Department building and Fire Station, so that's an unlikely area to want to have two bodies in your vehicle.

The meetup at Colinas at Medical Apartments is clearly in the dark, so I assume they had left the Grissom Road apartments at night in the dark, too. I suppose there are plenty of inconspicuous places along the way where drug deals commonly go down and the perps feel safer. I think the whole thing happened pretty quickly and they were both killed in the vehicle, then quickly taken to meet up with the truck and then dump the Kia.

I assume they left the apartment in the dark or very early am and were dead minutes later.

Why meet up with the truck at all before the final pick up? Why not just meet up at the final agreed upon spot?

why not just meet where the car was left and get the envelope , murder weapon and or cell phones or whatever and do the wipe up then?

 

[Curious Me]

...I would have thought that the perp would have wiped the gun clean and left it there in position to lead the Police down the path of murder suicide .. at least initially … to buy time…

I thought the same thing-- put the gun in his hands and make the victim look like he was guilty of killing her and himself. (People were already eager to buy that especially her family, I think.) Eventually, they would check for gun residue on MG's hands and not find any. I don't think it's hard to clean off a gun though. MOO, if you're going to shoot someone, and not get caught, it's best to wear gloves to load the bullets and use the gun.

@SLouTh, why do you think the two vehicles parked in such a well lit area? I know it was easier for them to see, but gee, it was brazen to choose a spot with so much light on that little scene. Why not meet in a darker spot?

ETA-- I see @justwannahelp is asking the same questions as I about choosing that meet spot. ​

 

[airportwoman]

Possibly but not necessarily… forcing SS to watch the torture of MG could indicate she was the target if it was a revenge/hatred motive.

I’m not sure if LE could even determine this since they obviously died at basically the same time, but as an investigator it would be an important clue for me to know who was killed first IMO

Or, for that matter, vice versa.