Investigators on Saturday found a female body during a search of a Hollister residence following an overnight standoff and arrest in the case of missing Hollister woman Heather Carroll.
Police announced they are presuming the body is Carroll, the 25-year-old Hollister woman who went missing Wednesday.
After an 11-hour standoff starting around 4 p.m. Friday in the 2100 block of Cerra Vista Drive, David J. Quiroz surrendered to police and was arrested, according to the Hollister Police Department. Police have recommended a homicide charge against Quiroz, 30.
Police shortly after 11 a.m. announced they found a female body in the residence. During questioning, Quiroz directed investigators to its location in the home, according to a statement from police, who recovered the body at around 5:30 a.m.
Interim Police Chief David Westrick said police are not clear how Carroll knew Quiroz.
“We don’t know if there’s anything,” Westrick said. “The only thing we know is they were acquaintances.”
But police noted that Quiroz was among the people taking part in a citizen-sponsored search for Carroll following her disappearance.
“I thought that was remarkable,” Westrick said. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Police had been searching for the 25-year-old mother and wife who was reported missing Wednesday. Carroll was last seen that morning dropping off her young boy at Ladd Lane School. Authorities then found her sport utility vehicle at 2 a.m. Thursday in a field near Enterprise Road and Glenview Drive, about a mile from the house where the standoff occurred.
Investigators had obtained information Friday pointing to the possible involvement of Quiroz. While responding to the residence for questioning, dispatchers received a call from someone saying Quiroz was possibly armed and suicidal, according to a police statement.
As the standoff proceeded, it was a relatively calm environment in the residential neighborhood near Cerra Vista School on Hollister’s southeast side. Police barricaded off several blocks to keep residents away. Authorities had evacuated the neighborhood, including an after-school program at the school.
Hollister police requested help from Gilroy’s SWAT team, the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office and several other surrounding agencies.
Following the arrest, Quiroz needed treatment and had “some medical things to take care of real quickly,” Westrick said.
The chief declined to confirm if police found a firearm, how Carroll may have been killed, or where police found the body in the home.
He said the department’s condolences go out to the family.
“The biggest thing is, that the overwhelming community support for our efforts and this family, frankly, I got to tell you, it’s amazing to me,” Westrick said.
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