The body of a young woman found Sunday morning in an open field near the municipal airport has been identified as Jaclyn Funderburg, who had been missing almost two weeks.
Her death has been ruled a homicide due to multiple injuries.
Homicide detectives and members of El Paso County Search and Rescue had been searching for Funderburg in the field southeast of Space Village Avenue and Marksheffel Road on the Banning-Lewis Ranch property on Sunday.
The El Paso County Coroner’s Office was notified and responded to assist with the recovery of the body.
Funderburg, 22, the mother of a 10-month-old boy, was last seen getting into a white 1999 Cadillac owned by her ex-boyfriend, Salvator Esquivel-Castillo, 35. She was reported missing after not showing up for her job at a Wendy’s restaurant.
Esquivel-Castillo is a “person of interest” in her disappearance, authorities said. He was arrested on suspicion of involvement in a May 27 domestic-violence incident in which police say he broke Funderburg’s jaw, police said.
Esquivel-Castillo is an illegal immigrant and has been on a “hold” status at the county jail by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
