Body of Missing SoCal Woman Found in Caribbean

Skull and bones of Yvonne Baldelli were found zipped in a bag off the coast of Panama

The body of a Southern California woman who has been missing for nearly two years was positively identified on an island off the coast of Panama last week, according to the FBI.

The body of Yvonne Baldelli, who has been missing since November 2011, was found zippered inside a bag on the coastline of Isla Carenero on Aug. 20. DNA analysis was used on the skull and bones by forensic scientists in Panama to identify Baldelli’s body.

Baldelli went missing about two years ago when she traveled to Panama with her boyfriend, 37-year-old Brian Karl Brimager.

Brimager is suspected of killing Baldelli, and he is accused of sending emails from her laptop pretending to be her and saying she was traveling to Costa Rica. He’s also accused of using her ATM card in Costa Rica during a two-day layover, and also using her card in San Jose to make it appear as though she was alive.

Brimager was arrested earlier this year for allegedly engaging in an elaborate scheme to cover up Baldelli’s death. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in San Diego in June on charges that he obstructed justice and made false statements to law enforcement.

Brimager faces 10 counts of obstruction of justice and one count of false statement to a federal officer. He faces a maximum sentence of 205 years in prison and a $2.5 million fine if found guilty of all charges.

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