Police continue search for killer after Marissa DiNapoli’s body found in Morgan Hill

The Morgan Hill Police Department has confirmed the identity of the body found at Anderson Lake Wednesday night, ending hope that Marissa DiNapoli would return to her friends and family. 

The Santa Clara County Coroner identified the body as DiNapoli, 18, on Thursday, July 3, after her remains were discovered by a community member flying a drone on the east side of the lake.

“We can confirm the body that was located on east Anderson Lake is, in fact, Marissa,” said MHPD Capt. Mario Rodriguez. “We are continuously actively investigating this case to ensure that we apprehend the individual that committed this heinous crime.”

DiNapoli was reported missing June 30 after failing to return home. Her last communication with family was a text message sent June 28 at 9:16pm, in which she said she planned to stay with a friend overnight and return the next day. She was last seen June 29 at about 9:45am in the company of Martin Mendoza. The pair were observed leaving a residence on Trail Drive, just outside Morgan Hill city limits, where DiNapoli’s car was later found, police said.

Police are actively seeking Mendoza, whom they consider a person of interest in the case. Rodriguez said Mendoza has not been interviewed by police and has not responded to attempts to contact him.

“We are still actively trying to get a hold of him and still actively trying to look for him,” Rodriguez said. “We have tried reaching out by cell phone through his family, we have extended that olive branch for him to speak with us, and he has yet to do so.”

MHPD said in a July 2 press release that Mendoza was not cooperative with the initial investigation. 

The investigation involves more than 30 officers from multiple agencies, including the District Attorney’s Office, Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department, FBI, Homeland Security and various Santa Clara County task forces.

“Immediately when we received the original Missing Person report from Marissa’s father, our investigative bureau began assisting our patrol officers,” Rodriguez said. “As we continued to receive more information we continued to add more investigators to the case.”

The discovery of DiNapoli’s body came through citizen involvement. A community member operating a drone spotted what appeared to be human remains on the east side of Anderson Lake and immediately contacted authorities, police said.

“He was flying a drone and located what he thought was a possible dead body,” Rodriguez said. “At which point he contacted the authorities, which was the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, and they notified us that they were responding to a call with a possible dead body on the east side of Anderson Lake.”

Police are urging the public to remain vigilant and report any sightings of Mendoza immediately.

“The community can continue to be vigilant. If they see Martin Mendoza, (they should) contact us immediately so that we can go out and contact him,” Rodriguez said. “The other thing is to continue to be supportive of Marissa’s family. This is a very tragic time, not only for the family but also for the community, and it is important for us to embrace Marissa’s family and be there for them and be supportive of them.”

In a direct appeal to Mendoza, Rodriguez said: “If Martin Mendoza is reading [this newspaper], please contact us. We want to talk to you, we want to find out what happened. It is important that we be able to bring closure to Marissa’s family.”

The police department described the case as a devastating loss for the Morgan Hill community, calling DiNapoli “a vibrant member of our Morgan Hill community with a bright future ahead of her.” 

Rodriguez emphasized the department’s commitment to finding justice. 

“The outcome is not what we wanted, obviously, with the passing of Marissa, but we definitely want to be able to bring justice for Marissa and her family,” he said.

DiNapoli’s family released a statement asking for privacy during their grief and requesting that no fundraising accounts be created in her memory.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved Marissa, and at this time, our family kindly asks for privacy as we grieve and navigate this difficult journey,” the statement reads. “We appreciate the love and support from those who have reached out. In honoring Marissa’s memory, we kindly ask that no GoFundMe accounts or donation pages be created.”

The family asked for support through “prayers, kind words, and cherished memories” rather than financial contributions.

While police continue to work to contact Mendoza, they emphasized they are also investigating other leads in the case. The investigation remains active and ongoing, and the public is asked to contact Detective Kyle Tolentino at 669.253.4962 or submit anonymous tips through the department’s crime stoppers website at the city’s official portal.

Calvin Nuttall is a Morgan Hill-based freelance reporter.