A 25-year-old man was arrested Tuesday for the murder of a woman found buried in the backyard of a home in the Frederiksted area the day before.
Marvin Alvin Dominquez of 141 Two Brothers was arrested by police at 9:50 a.m. Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder, said VIPD Capt. Melbourne Adams. As of 3 p.m. Tuesday an autopsy was being performed on the victim, believed by police to be a white female. Adams said the autopsy will help determine a cause of death, how long the victim has been dead and make a positive identification.
"We need to make a positive identification with fingerprints, dental records or some other scientific method," Adams said. "Right now we just have a female identification."
The victim was found by police Monday afternoon buried in the yard of the duplex Dominquez rented. Persons familiar with both the victim and the suspect said they had lived together in the duplex.
The acquaintances said the woman was last seen on Oct. 8. Her parents apparently filed a missing person report on the mainland after not hearing from their daughter for some time.
After the woman's disappearance, Dominquez told the acquaintances she had moved back to the mainland. Between the time she disappeared and the discovery of the body on Monday, the acquaintances said Dominquez told them about a "garden" he had planted in his yard. They also said they played Frisbee in the area of the shallow grave where the body was found.
"He was so nonchalant, so calm," one person said.
The acquaintances said that during Hurricane Lenny, Dominquez became nervous when rain began to fall on his "garden."
Adams said investigators have no motive in the case. He said a positive identification could take a couple of days.
Dominquez, who worked as a chef, is being held without bail.
