LA JOLLA — The death of a woman whose body was found in a burning car late Friday night at the University of California, San Diego, is being investigated as a murder after the medical examiner’s office ruled the case a homicide Monday, according to a police statement. The cause of death was previously unknown. UCSD police responded to a vehicle fire at 9:20 p.m. on Friday in a parking lot in the 3600 block of Voigt Drive. Firefighters discovered the body of a female inside the car after putting out the fire, according to police. The victim has not been positively identified, but an autopsy revealed Monday that she had been murdered. Detectives have been in touch with the vehicle’s owner and the victim’s family, and they hope to speak to the vehicle owner’s estranged husband. Police are asking for the public’s help in locating him, according to the statement. He has been identified as 50-year-old Julio Garcia-Puente. He is unemployed, has no known vehicle and frequents the areas of Carlsbad and San Marcos. Anyone with information about his whereabouts or the incident is encouraged to contact the homicide unit at (619) 531-2293.
