WASHINGTON — The body found inside a burning car March 15 has been identified as a Woodbridge, Virginia, man.
But Prince William County police say Santos Arquimidis Sorto Amaya, 25, was not in any gang — nor was he even known to the suspects.
Three men and a juvenile with ties to the MS-13 gang were charged in the death less than a week after authorities found Sorto Amaya’s body amid the vehicle fire at Woodbridge’s Veterans Park.
Sorto Amaya was last seen leaving his home the morning of March 13 to go to work. Family members reported him missing a day later after he did not show up for work. At the time of that disappearance, authorities said, no signs of foul play were reported.
The victim was abducted in front of his house, fatally shot, then placed in his vehicle’s trunk, investigators found. The suspects allegedly ignited the fire on the morning of March 15 after they drove it to the park.
DNA testing was needed to confirm Sorto Amaya’s identity.
Facing murder charges are Erick Alexander Contreras Navarro, 23, of Manassas, Virginia; Denis Ludwin Espinal Alvares, 19, of Oxon Hill, Maryland; and a 17-year-old male from Woodbridge.
Manuel Enrique Robles Lopez, 21, also of Manassas, has been charged with accessory to murder after the fact.
Lopez and the juvenile were reportedly arrested in Prince William County. Navarro and Alvares were apprehended in Wilson, North Carolina.
