Found Deceased MD - DaCara Thompson 19, res Lanham, car found w/purse, cash, ID, seen on vid parking 1800 blk Jasmine Ter walking twd Riggs, Hyattsville, 22 Aug 2025

[lastkiss]

She had injuries to her skull and facial fractures. It's not uncommon for murderers to hit a woman hard in the head to disorient them.

Since she went directly to his bedroom, the first injury may have been before she arrived at his house. I'm guessing she was assaulted between the time of arrival (3:47 AM) until she was murdered (5:03 AM). Maybe she was unconscious at first, and the noise heard by his cousin was as she was becoming conscious. He deactivated her phone at 5:03 AM, probably coinciding with her murder. Then he took her out of the house and tried to hide her body.

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He dropped her body from a bridge to dispose of her. I assume these injuries could therefore have even been inflicted post mortem. Jmo.

 

[otto]

He dropped her body from a bridge to dispose of her. I assume these injuries could therefore have even been inflicted post mortem. Jmo.

Falling off a bridge would cause broken bones. The injuries to her head were mentioned, nothing else. For me, that suggests they were inflicted while she was alive - but we'll have to wait for the autopsy report to know more.

There was blood in the murderer's bedroom and vehicle. Her fingernail was found in his bedroom. She was in his bedroom from 3:47-5:03 AM. His cousin heard the assault and did nothing.

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[Elley Mae]

He dropped her body from a bridge to dispose of her. I assume these injuries could therefore have even been inflicted post mortem. Jmo.

I had the same thought.

One week later, at around 4:50 p.m. on Aug. 31, the Maryland State Police (MSP) responded to reports of a disabled vehicle on the bridge over the South River in Annapolis. Troopers found a body on the river embankment about 30 feet below the bridge.

The woman, they observed, was fully naked and had visible tattoos and jewelry.

https://www.dcnewsnow.com/news/local-news/maryland/prince-georges-county/court-documents-detail-the-last-known-moments-of-missing-murdered-19-year-old/

…

Also had the disabled vehicle not have been where it was it’s no telling if she would have ever been found.

Snipped

On August 31, around 4:50 p.m., Maryland State Police responded to the Rt 50 between Maryland Rt 424 and Maryland Rt 97 in Annapolis for a disabled vehicle on the short bridge that is over the South River.

New court documents reveal disturbing details in DaCara Thompson murder case

Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, 35, is accused of killing 19-year-old Dacara Thompson.

www.wusa9.com

Dropped Pin

View details about Dropped Pin in Annapolis, MD United States on Apple Maps. Address, driving directions, images, nearby attractions and more.

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[crcap]

https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/crime/cousin-of-alleged-killer-in-dacara-thompson-case-says-

http://

We don't know how DaCara knew her murderer, but it's more likely that she met him through her work at Nonprofit Prince George County (linked upthread) than as a sex worker or drug dealer. DaCara lived at home with family and had a job with an income, plus a bonus for future studies at the end of her year of service. She didn't need drug or sex worker income. There's nothing to suggest that she had that lifestyle.

Each of these women was forced or coerced into a vehicle, and then murdered by the man in the photo beside her. Were they both drug dealers or sex workers, or were they both caring, good people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time - a time where they encountered a criminal who intended to harm them?

View attachment 613056
Dru Sjodin

View attachment 613058
DaCara Thompson

Dru was leaving her shift at the mall in the middle of the day and forced by knife into her killer’s car.

Dacara left her family home in the middle of the night and seemingly walked up to her killer’s car willingly.

I can understand what you’re trying to say but these two situations were very different and it’s not just because of the victims’ races. This does not mean one victim was more important than the other or that Dacara deserved what happened to her. We don’t know yet why she got into her killer’s car so for now we are all trying to speculate why a beautiful girl like Dacara would seemingly willingly get into that man’s car in the middle of the night.

 

[AngTxGal]

Is there any evidence, or claims from anyone, that this 19 year old woman was involved with illegal drugs or sex work?

From everything I've read, she was selected as a candidate for the Maryland Service Year Option - which sounds like an achievement based on good character with a promising future.

We know that the murderer had a rotten character and that he is a criminal, but why would we think that his victim must also be a criminal with involvement in illegal drugs?

I don’t think anyone is saying she was a sex worker or was into drugs,
I think people are saying the circumstances of being out at night, meeting someone at their car, and getting in… are consistent with both of these typical situations..
Sex work
Drug deals, a buy or a sell.

There are other possibilities- she met someone on social media and met them in person.
She met friends and this guy was with them and not a friend.
Young women out and about can be substance impaired, roofied, attacked, abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered- when out alone among people they know or strangers.

We do know- she was out and about 11PM- 3AM, parking backwards, walking across a street, to meet someone at a car, and got into the car willingly.
We also know- he was a drug user, he met her, drove her to another location, and they engaged in sexual activities (based on what the cousin thinks they heard), and he has been accused of murdering her.

So, if she was the young woman of good solid character, as she has been described, why was she out and about doing something that to all of us appears to be obviously very risky for her personal health, without her parents or friends knowing where she was or what she was doing?

The ending is horrific, and I am sure her parents are asking the same questions and coming up empty.

JMO

 

[otto]

I had the same thought.

One week later, at around 4:50 p.m. on Aug. 31, the Maryland State Police (MSP) responded to reports of a disabled vehicle on the bridge over the South River in Annapolis. Troopers found a body on the river embankment about 30 feet below the bridge.

The woman, they observed, was fully naked and had visible tattoos and jewelry.

https://www.dcnewsnow.com/news/local-news/maryland/prince-georges-county/court-documents-detail-the-last-known-moments-of-missing-murdered-19-year-old/

…

Also had the disabled vehicle not have been where it was it’s no telling if she would have ever been found.

Snipped

On August 31, around 4:50 p.m., Maryland State Police responded to the Rt 50 between Maryland Rt 424 and Maryland Rt 97 in Annapolis for a disabled vehicle on the short bridge that is over the South River.

New court documents reveal disturbing details in DaCara Thompson murder case

Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, 35, is accused of killing 19-year-old Dacara Thompson.

www.wusa9.com

Dropped Pin

View details about Dropped Pin in Annapolis, MD United States on Apple Maps. Address, driving directions, images, nearby attractions and more.

maps.apple.com

She told her father that she was getting gas and going out. She didn't say she was going home. She parked her vehicle at 3:06 AM and walked to his vehicle, which was near the Galaxy Night Club. She arrived at his home at 3:47. It sounds like her phone remained in his vehicle during the assault at his house. At 5:03 he deactivated her phone, which was in the car the entire time. That's probably when he took her out of his house, drove a short distance, and pushed her over a bridge.

"He also told them she texted him that night that she was going to get gas and going out. But, he never heard from her again.
...

According to the court documents, detectives had recovered surveillance footage from August 23, from 3:06 a.m., showing her leaving her white SUV and walking from Jasmine Terrace down Riggs Road toward University Boulevard in Hyattsville.
...

Court documents reveal that they believe the two arrived to that home around 3:47 a.m.

Investigators say cell phone records for DaCara Thompson's phone show that she was in the car the entire time. Her phone was deactivated at 5:03 a.m., the documents show."

New court documents reveal disturbing details in DaCara Thompson murder case

Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, 35, is accused of killing 19-year-old Dacara Thompson.

www.wusa9.com

 

[Inthedetails]

Is there any evidence, or claims from anyone, that this 19 year old woman was involved with illegal drugs or sex work?

From everything I've read, she was selected as a candidate for the Maryland Service Year Option - which sounds like an achievement based on good character with a promising future.

We know that the murderer had a rotten character and that he is a criminal, but why would we think that his victim must also be a criminal with involvement in illegal drugs?

FWIW, I don't think she met him through her service/volunteer work. I don't think she would be interested in him at all if she had met him previously.

My hunch is she met him online and that was the first time they had met in person. Maybe it was sex work, idk, or maybe it was simply a young person looking for fun with a date of the opposite sex and meeting someone online is how it is done.

I do think she had a good character, but that doesn't mean she didn't have interest in a private life.

jmopinion

 

[otto]

http://

Dru was leaving her shift at the mall in the middle of the day and forced by knife into her killer’s car.

Dacara left her family home in the middle of the night and seemingly walked up to her killer’s car willingly.

I can understand what you’re trying to say but these two situations were very different and it’s not just because of the victims’ races. This does not mean one victim was more important than the other or that Dacara deserved what happened to her. We don’t know yet why she got into her killer’s car so for now we are all trying to speculate why a beautiful girl like Dacara would seemingly willingly get into that man’s car in the middle of the night.

Exactly why I said "forced or coerced".

 

[otto]

I don’t think anyone is saying she was a sex worker or was into drugs,
I think people are saying the circumstances of being out at night, meeting someone at their car, and getting in… are consistent with both of these typical situations..
Sex work
Drug deals, a buy or a sell.

There are other possibilities- she met someone on social media and met them in person.
She met friends and this guy was with them and not a friend.
Young women out and about can be substance impaired, roofied, attacked, abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered- when out alone among people they know or strangers.

We do know- she was out and about 11PM- 3AM, parking backwards, walking across a street, to meet someone at a car, and got into the car willingly.
We also know- he was a drug user, he met her, drove her to another location, and they engaged in sexual activities (based on what the cousin thinks they heard), and her murdered her.

So, if she was the young woman of good solid character, as she has been described, why was she out and about doing something that to all of us appears to be obviously very risky for her personal health, without her parents or friends knowing where she was or what she was doing?

The ending is horrific, and I am sure her parents are asking the same questions and coming up empty.

JMO

She told her father that she was "going out" after getting gas. She was near the Galaxy Night Club. We haven't heard where she was when she was out, but there's nothing unsafe about going out for the evening.

We haven't heard from anyone who was her that evening when she was out. We don't know why she approached his vehicle ... for example, did she meet him while she was out and did he tell her he was selling something she wanted ... maybe a brand new discounted cell phone? We don't know how she met him or why she went to his vehicle and then got into it.

We do know that she parked her car at 3:06 some distance from his vehicle, that she spoke to him, then got into his car. Within 30 minutes, she was at his house, her phone was in his car, and she was violently assaulted.

 

[otto]

FWIW, I don't think she met him through her service/volunteer work. I don't think she would be interested in him at all if she had met him previously.

My hunch is she met him online and that was the first time they had met in person. Maybe it was sex work, idk, or maybe it was simply a young person looking for fun with a date of the opposite sex and meeting someone online is how it is done.

I do think she had a good character, but that doesn't mean she didn't have interest in a private life.

jmopinion

I can't see it. She was 19 years old and chosen for a government position in nonprofit service. He's a 35 year criminal with illegal substance problems. Common sense says that one look at him - as a potential date - and she would have returned to her car.

There's no evidence that she was a drug dealer or sex worker.

 

[Inthedetails]

I can't see it. She was 19 years old and chosen for a government position in nonprofit service. He's a 35 year criminal with illegal substance problems. Common sense says that one look at him - as a potential date - and she would have returned to her car.

There's no evidence that she was a drug dealer or sex worker.

Yet, she entered his car willingly. My guess is she thought it was a legit "romantic" hookup or a consensual non-romantic hook-up. I can't see any other scenario at this point. Of course, it ended up non-consensual, and she wasn't able to get away.

I don't think it was volunteer work associated with her job.

jmopinion

 

[otto]

She did not see him and jump into his vehicle. She spoke to him and he said something that caused her to get into his car. That's the big question: what did he say?

"According to the court documents, detectives had recovered surveillance footage from August 23, from 3:06 a.m., showing her leaving her white SUV and walking from Jasmine Terrace down Riggs Road toward University Boulevard in Hyattsville.
...

Investigators say surveillance footage showed her walk into the parking lot of a business on University Boulevard, approach the driver side of a black GMC Yukon Denali and appear to speak to the driver, before walking around to the passenger side and getting in the passenger front seat."

New court documents reveal disturbing details in DaCara Thompson murder case

Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, 35, is accused of killing 19-year-old Dacara Thompson.

www.wusa9.com

 

[otto]

Yet, she entered his car willingly. My guess is she thought it was a legit "romantic" hookup or a consensual non-romantic hook-up. I can't see any other scenario at this point. Of course, it ended up non-consensual, and she wasn't able to get away.

I don't think it was volunteer work associated with her job.

jmopinion

<Modsnipped- source>

I haven't seen anything about how he got her into his house and directly into his bedroom, but it sounds like he carried or dragged her out of his house. He could have inflicted facial injuries and skull fracture when she got into his vehicle, and carried her into his house too.

 

[Inthedetails]

The fact that her phone remained in his vehicle during the assault suggests that he took it from her when they were in his vehicle.

I haven't seen anything about how he got her into his house and directly into his bedroom, but it sounds like he carried or dragged her out of his house. He could have inflicted facial injuries and skull fracture when she got into his vehicle, and carried her into his house too.

<<Modsnipped- original post snipped>


I am assuming at this point, she walked into the house, whether willingly or forced, but agree she was likely carried/dragged out. My hunch is she was removed shortly after 5am while it was not yet daylight.

jmopinion

 

[otto]

<Modsnipped- original post snipped

I am assuming at this point, she walked into the house, whether willingly or forced, but agree she was likely carried/dragged out. My hunch is she was removed shortly after 5am while it was not yet daylight.

jmopinion

Comment #190 with link. If her phone shows that she was in the car the entire time, when we know she was in the house being assaulted, then the phone was not with her during the assault. It was in his car.

"Investigators say cell phone records for DaCara Thompson's phone show that she was in the car the entire time. Her phone was deactivated at 5:03 a.m., the documents show."

 

[Inthedetails]

Comment #190 with link. If her phone shows that she was in the car the entire time, when we know she was in the house being assaulted, then the phone was not with her during the assault. It was in his car.

"Investigators say cell phone records for DaCara Thompson's phone show that she was in the car the entire time. Her phone was deactivated at 5:03 a.m., the documents show."

Thanks for confirming that!

jmo

 

[otto]

I'm curious why she parked so far away from where he was parked. I wonder what cell data and texts will tell us. Did he give her a location to meet that was intentionally too far from her car? Was he parked where she parked, and did he then drive a little farther away from her car to separate her from her car?

She was parked at Jasmine Terrace and Riggs Road. At 3:06, she left her SUV and walked from Jasmine Terace down Riggs Road towards University Boulevard. She spoke to him, then got into his vehicle ... which was across the street from the Galaxy Night Club.

Google Maps
Zoomed into car location

 

[AngTxGal]

She told her father that she was "going out" after getting gas. She was near the Galaxy Night Club. We haven't heard where she was when she was out, but there's nothing unsafe about going out for the evening.

We haven't heard from anyone who was her that evening when she was out. We don't know why she approached his vehicle ... for example, did she meet him while she was out and did he tell her he was selling something she wanted ... maybe a brand new discounted cell phone? We don't know how she met him or why she went to his vehicle and then got into it.

We do know that she parked her car at 3:06 some distance from his vehicle, that she spoke to him, then got into his car. Within 30 minutes, she was at his house, her phone was in his car, and she was violently assaulted.

There is a bit more to her text to her father that could convey she was not planning to stay out late… she told him she would ‘be back soon’.

Body found along highway identified as missing Maryland woman

Her father, Daniel Thompson, said she left their house in Lanham around 10 p.m. on August 22 to get gas. He last spoke to her over text just before midnight, he said.

"I got gas and I'm out. I should be back soon. I love you too. Goodnight," Daniel Thompson said as he recalled his daughter's text.

It was the last time he would ever hear from her.


IMO

 

[Inthedetails]

I'm curious why she parked so far away from where he was parked. I wonder what cell data and texts will tell us. Did he give her a location to meet that was intentionally too far from her car? Was he parked where she parked, and did he then drive a little farther away from her car to separate her from her car?

She was parked at Jasmine Terrace and Riggs Road. At 3:06, she left her SUV and walked from Jasmine Terace down Riggs Road towards University Boulevard. She spoke to him, then got into his vehicle ... which was across the street from the Galaxy Night Club.

View attachment 613078

Google Maps
Zoomed into car location

At this point, I think she never intended to go away from the location in his vehicle. She might have entered the car willingly, but with the assumption they would stay there. I don't think she wanted him to drive away with her, leaving her car like that. That's my opinion, casting no dispersion on the victim.

If she wanted to go to his house, she could've driven herself.

jmopinion

 

[I am not Sherlock H.]

I'm curious why she parked so far away from where he was parked. I wonder what cell data and texts will tell us. Did he give her a location to meet that was intentionally too far from her car? Was he parked where she parked, and did he then drive a little farther away from her car to separate her from her car?

She was parked at Jasmine Terrace and Riggs Road. At 3:06, she left her SUV and walked from Jasmine Terace down Riggs Road towards University Boulevard. She spoke to him, then got into his vehicle ... which was across the street from the Galaxy Night Club.

View attachment 613078

Google Maps
Zoomed into car location

I imagine that the suspect might have deliberately had a slight shift in the supposed ‘meet’ location? If so, that way he could size up the individual and decide from there on his course of action. And as you suggest, to have the intended victim away from an easy escape in her vehicle. If these are the case, seems quite premeditated IMO. MOO