Mannequin Leads to Texas Fugitives' Arrest in San Diego

The mannequin was placed in the passenger seat of a van parked near a Costco

A mannequin in the passenger seat of a parked van led San Diego police to two Texas fugitives.

San Diego police spotted the large, white, 1997 Ford van with Texas plates parked near a Costco in Kearny Mesa east of San Diego.

The van was backed into a space in the parking lot along Othello Avenue with a mannequin placed in the front seat. The mannequin was dressed and wearing red lipstick.

A man and woman were sleeping inside the van. Officers immediately thought the vehicle looked suspicious and ran the license plate.

That's when they found that the van was linked to a person of interest wanted for questioning in a Houston man’s death.

Officers awoke the man and the woman inside the van and detained them on a felony warrant.

SDPD Lt. Mark Bennett said officers aren’t sure why the mannequin was placed in the front seat.

“The van is full of a lot of things. I have no idea what’s in there or why it’s in there,” Bennett said.
Investigators contacted Houston police who then sent homicide investigators to San Diego to search the van and interview the suspects. As of 5 p.m., those investigators were en route, officials said.

“We’re coordinating all of our efforts with the Houston Police Department to make sure that they’ve got the information they need. There en route here to interview these people,” said SDPD Lt. Kevin Mayer.

According to Lt. Mayer, the man and woman inside the van have now been identified as Adam Guoy, 26, and Amber Herdman, 30.

Lt. Mayer said both Guoy and Herdman are persons of interest in a homicide that happened on July 15 at a Burger King in Houston.

On Wednesday, they were both arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance, and were booked into county jail. Lt. Mayer said further charges from Houston officials against the pair are pending.

San Diego police say Houston Detectives will arrive in San Diego within hours to start their investigation.

“This is their case, they’ve got all the facts of it – the line of questioning and everything,” added Lt. Mayer.

According to officials, Guoy is also a registered sex offender stemming from a sexual assault incident involving a 5-year-old child.

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