San Joaquin County prosecutors on Monday announced that Joshua Anthony Martinez has been rearrested in connection with the 2019 disappearance of 16-year-old Victoria Marquina. Martinez is being held without bail on newly filed charges that include murder and multiple alleged sex offenses involving a minor. Marquina’s body has never been recovered, and investigators say portions of the case have been re-examined in recent months.
The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office confirmed the arrest Monday, and a jail booking log lists murder and several sex-crime charges, according to CBS Sacramento. Martinez is scheduled to appear in San Joaquin County court on Monday and is being held without bail, the outlet reported.
How investigators say Marquina vanished
According to The Charley Project, Victoria Amairani Marquina was last seen in early October 2019 after attending a concert. Her phone was later traced to San Joaquin County, and her black Honda Accord was found abandoned in Escalon. Investigators previously identified Martinez as one of the last people to see Marquina. He told authorities he dropped the 16-year-old off in Sutter Creek and then left the area days later, the case file shows.
That earlier investigation led to Martinez being arrested in late 2020 on sex-related charges and a separate murder Ramey warrant, according to the same case file. He was later released after prosecutors said the evidence at that time was largely circumstantial.
Cold case task force reopened files
In April 2025, San Joaquin County launched a countywide cold case task force to re-examine unsolved homicides, suspicious missing-person cases and sexual assaults. Officials say that review has generated new investigative leads. San Joaquin County has described the effort as a multi-agency push that brings fresh forensic review and added resources to older files…