Authorities have made an arrest in the cold case disappearance of California teenager Victoria Marquina.
Joshua Anthony Martinez was originally arrested in connection to the Amador County girl's disappearance in October 2019 but was released from custody.
Now, the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office confirmed Monday that Martinez has been arrested again in connection to the case. According to the jail booking log, Martinez is facing charges of murder along with several alleged sex crimes with a minor.
Martinez was indicted in San Joaquin County court on Monday. He's being held without bail.
"I met Victoria's mom shortly after taking office and she told me her heartbreak and not knowing where her daughter was and not having the person that killed her being held accountable," San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas said outside the courthouse after the hearing. "And it's weighed heavily on me and it's one of the things that I've thought about almost every single day since taking office."
Martinez, who was 21 at the time of Marquina's disappearance, was in an unlawful dating relationship with the 16-year-old, said the Amador County District Attorney's Office, which has jurisdiction in Sutter Creek and provided support in the investigation. Martinez previously admitted to authorities that he dropped her off in Sutter Creek.
Joshua Anthony Martinez in San Joaquin County Court on March 16, 2026.
Prosecutors noted that Martinez fled to Mexico shortly after Marquina vanished. He was extradited back to the U.S. prior to his initial arrest.
Marquina's body has never been found, but her vehicle and her cellphone were located in San Joaquin County shortly after her disappearance.
"I think that by now she would be graduated, received, and would be a fulfilled woman," Blance Valencia, Marquina's mother, told CBS News Sacramento. "She had many dreams. Many dreams. Unfortunately, someone cut us off. But I still have faith, I still have hope that she will return home."
The sheriff's office said at the time of Martinez's first arrest that it had circumstantial evidence that allegedly proved he killed her.
"If you know something, if you heard something, if you know where my daughter is, please communicate," Valencia said.
In 2025, the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office started a new cold case task force focusing on cases like Marquina's.
The Amador County DA's Office said that earlier this year, it authorized prosecutions in San Joaquin County under jurisdictional laws that allow cases spanning multiple counties to be tried there. The case was later presented to a criminal grand jury in Stockton, which returned a true bill of indictment.
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Suspect indicted in 2019 disapearrance, killing of California teen
Suspect indicted in 2019 disapearrance, killing of California teen
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