A man has been charged with murder in the strangulation death of his girlfriend in unincorporated Vista, north of San Diego, San Diego County Sheriff's officials (SDSO) said.
Nathan Carmello Rivera, 42, of Vista, was arrested in connection with the death of his girlfriend, Donna Hixon, 49, of Vista, found dead inside a mobile home on Friday.
Deputies initially responded to a report of assault with a deadly weapon at approximately 11 a.m. on the 1000 block of La Rueda Drive.
Hixon was discovered inside a mobile home on the property in what investigators initially called suspicious. At first, because of the position of her body, her injuries were not, deputies said.
Deputies spent hours at the scene of the crime, first waiting for a search warrant and then collecting evidence.
The San Diego County Medical Examiner's office completed their autopsy and ruled the death a homicide.
Rivera was identified as a suspect and arrested. Rivera will be re-booked into the Vista Detention Facility for a single count of murder; he is currently in custody on other charges.
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No other information was immediately available. The homicide is under investigation.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Homicide Detail at (858) 974-2321 or after hours at (858) 565-5200. You can also remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477 and be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
