Police identified the Chula Vista mother believed to have been killed by her husband in their home over the weekend.
The victim is 35-year-old mother of three Natalia Uriarte, according to the Chula vista Police Department. Investigators believe her husband Francisco Uriarte, 37, is responsible for the killing.
Police said the couple was involved in a physical fight that ended with the wife dead, and the husband on the run.
Francisco Uriarte was not in custody as of 5 p.m. Monday and his whereabouts were unknown, according to police. CVPD cautioned the public Sunday that he should be considered armed and dangerous.
Natalia Uriarte’s sister, Sandy Norzagaray, said their family is struggling with the sudden loss.
"I'm going to miss her so much, I miss her already because we used to talk on the phone for almost like 3 or 4 hours at a time," said Norzagaray.
The family has created a GoFundMe account to collect funds for Natalia Uriarte's funeral.
ONSCENE.TV/ CVPD"I know we are all going through some hard times right now and we are just asking for everyone’s help," said Norzagaray.
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The family is also asking for support in finding Francisco.
Norzagaray described her sister a happy and outgoing woman who was a great mother.
"She would always brighten the room for everyone," said Norzagaray through tears.
San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan said domestic violence threats do not go away, even when we are dealing with other big threats like COVID-19.
"Domestic violence can be just as deadly as a virus and it is again the number one thing that results in death to women in terms of the scale of violent events," explained Stephan. "It's something to really take seriously and there is no excuse for violence at any time and definitely not at this time when everyone is feeling vulnerable and on edge."
For San Diego County information on domestic violence hotlines and support networks, click here.
