Authorities arrested and charged a man over the killing of his ex-girlfriend who was found in a burning vehicle over a decade ago, according to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office. 

Noel Aguilera Ledesma, 43, had been living in Yuma, Arizona when he was taken into custody on suspicion of killing Yvette Martinez, 22. 

According to prosecutors, a vehicle was discovered on fire off state Highway 198 at Priest Valley Road near Coalinga in October 2010. In the trunk was the body of Martinez, who resided in Greenfield, Monterey County. 

At the time, investigators knew that Martinez had been dating Ledesma and he became a suspect, but no arrest was made, prosecutors said. 

In July 2020, the county’s cold case task force took on the investigation of Martinez’ death, the District Attorney’s Office said. New evidence was discovered, leading to a warrant for Ledesma’s arrest. 

Prosecutors said they are not going to release any more information about the case at this time, “to preserve the integrity of the investigation and future court proceedings.” 

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.