Jessica Quintanilla, 21, and two others have been arrested in connection with the murder of 19-year-old Leilani Beauchamp in northern California on Halloween weekend, authorities announced on Facebook Monday.
Police in Fairfield, a small town about 40 miles southwest of Sacramento, said Quintanilla is facing murder charges. Juan Parra-Peralta, a 20-year-old active duty U.S. Air Force member, was charged as an accessory to murder, as was 27-year-old Marco Quintanilla, investigators wrote.
Beauchamp’s body was discovered in Monterey County on Sunday, after authorities said she was last seen on Saturday leaving a party in Sacramento, some three hours to the north.
Few Details in Leilani Beauchamp’s Murder
Police have released little information other than the charges filed, citing the ongoing investigation.
Beauchamp was reportedly last spotted leaving a Halloween party with two active duty U.S. Air Force members living in Fairfield, near Travis Air Force Base.
After discovering her remains were discovered by Monterey County officials, police in Fairfield said they worked with Travis Air Force Base’s Office of Special Investigation unit to determine that Beauchamp died at the Cascade Drive home of U.S. Airman Juan Parra-Peralta.
The place of Beauchamp’s last sighting, her place of death, and the location of her remains span nearly 200 miles across northern California. Police have not released a timeline or series of events they believe occurred the night she died.
Authorities have also not announced a cause of death for the 19-year-old, an apparent motive for the alleged crime, or confirmed if Parra-Peralta was one of the airmen she was seen with leaving the party. The other identity of the other airman living at the Cascade Drive home has not been released.
Police: Jessica Quintanilla Killed Leilani Beauchamp
Jessica Quintanilla, the only arrestee facing murder charges, is reportedly from Pittsburg, California, a 40-minute drive across the bay from Farfield. It is not clear what connection she has with either U.S. Airmen reportedly living at the Fairfield home where the alleged murder occurred.
Juan Parra-Peralta, the Airman charged with accessory to murder, was listed as active duty personnel at Travis Air Force Base in December 2020, according to a military website.
Parra-Peralta was briefly profiled for a blog post on the Travis AFB site called “Diversity makes the Air Force stronger” late last year. At the time, he was reportedly an Airman First Class and a “cargo processing specialist” with the 60th Aerial Port Squadron.
The Air Force said that Parra-Peralta had come to the U.S. from Colombia in 2014 when he was 13 years old.
Police said Marco Quintanilla, the 27-year-old also charged with accessory to murder, was “currently on parole associated with a felony conviction for attempted murder” at the time of his arrest.
Marco Quintanilla is also from Pittsburg, though it’s not clear if he and Jessica Quintanilla are related.
Police said they will not give further updates or specifics related to the case in coming days.
“No booking photographs will be provided. This is an active/ongoing criminal investigation and no further details will be released at this time,” Fairfield officials said.
Family Mourns Leilani Beauchamp
Police said 19-year-old Leilani Beauchamp was living in Carmel, a coastal resort town in Monterey County near where her remains were found Sunday.
Her family told reporters Monday that they couldn’t comment on the “the details of her killing,” but offered a statement in remembrance.
“Leilani was truly a blessing to us and her beloved friends,” family members said. “Leilani shared a very close relationship with her younger brother and sister who, after she ventured out to college, maintained daily communication with them.”
The statement continued: “We will miss her smile, her laugh, her caring demeanor, her strong will, her passion for life, and the love she brought to our family.”
According to her Facebook page, Beauchamp had been a student at Monterey Peninsula College.
