MADERA - The Madera County Sheriff’s Office must announce the murder of 19-year-old Melanie Stephanie Rios Camacho, who has been missing since last Friday. Two suspects, 23-year-old Vicente Alexandro Jasso and 22-year-old Jose Cornelio Lopez-Hernandez, both of Madera, are currently in custody for their roles in her death.
Melanie was last seen leaving her work Auto Zone on Gateway Dr. in Madera) at 10:15 pm on Friday, November 24th, by a co-worker. Nearby video surveillance shows Melanie’s 2014 white Nissan Altima vehicle leaving northbound Gateway shortly before 10:30 pm. Around 11:00 pm, Melanie sent a text message to her mom letting her know she planned to meet with a friend after work.
When she was not home the following morning, Melanie’s mother reported her missing around 6:45 am. Tracking of Melanie’s phone had been disabled at some point before her call to authorities. Melanie didn’t show up for her shift at Auto Zone later that morning. Detectives spoke with the friend she told her mom she would be meeting, who reported they never met after work, but rather Melanie planned to meet with an “ex” to either give or receive something.
Around 8:45 am on Saturday, November 25th, a witness saw a vehicle partially on fire in the approximate area where Road 8 would cross Avenue 14 (around the 8000 block). Detectives later confirmed it as the 2014 white Nissan Altima driven by Melanie. Witnesses described seeing a blue Ford Mustang with a black hood driving around the area near Melanie’s Nissan.
Using that information, detectives obtained video surveillance confirming that a 2018 blue Ford Mustang, registered to 22-year-old Jose Cornelio Lopez-Hernandez of Madera, was in the area when the Nissan was dumped. Lopez-Hernandez was questioned around 8 pm on Sunday, and a search warrant was served at his address in the 1300 block of Austin Street in Madera.
Information obtained during the service of the warrant led detectives to an area of Avenue 20 west of Highway 99. There, they discovered human remains believed to belong to Melanie. Though pending official identification, MCSO is confident they’ve, in fact located Melanie Camacho.
Early Monday morning, detectives identified 24-year-old Madera resident Vicente Alexandro Jasso as the primary suspect in Melanie’s death. Around 6:30 am, a vehicle registered to and being driven by Jasso was observed by deputies. A traffic stop was initiated, ultimately resulting in a pursuit that traveled through the city of Madera and northbound on Highway 99 to Turlock, then back south on 99 to Atwater.
At 7:50 am, CHP was able to disable his vehicle successfully, and Jasso fled on foot. He hid in a nearby residential area before he was located by detectives and taken into custody. Personal items belonging to Melanie Camacho were recovered from the area Vicente fled.
Jasso and Lopez-Hernandez are both in custody at the Madera County Jail for their roles in the murder of Melanie Camacho.
Madera County Sheriff Tyson Pogue states, “I am extremely proud of the dedication and tireless work of our Investigation Bureau. They have worked non-stop since Friday to bring this case to a conclusion. I would also like to thank the Madera Police Department, the Madera County District Attorney’s Office, and the California Highway Patrol for their assistance. To Melanie's family, we are deeply sorry for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, especially as we approach Melanie’s 20th birthday, which would have been this Friday.”
If you have any information regarding this case, please call the Sheriff's Office at (559) 675-7770