NBC 7 is learning more about the 51-year-old woman who was found dead in the trunk of her car in El Cajon on Tuesday.

A man who allegedly killed his mother in El Cajon and then led police on a chase with her body inside the car was behind bars Wednesday, police said.

The woman found dead in the trunk of a car Tuesday afternoon was killed by her 24-year-old son, who officers arrested after a chase and a three-vehicle crash, according to the El Cajon Department. ECPD provided a lot of details Wednesday in a news release sent out shortly before noon,

Police found a woman’s body inside the trunk of a car when a pursuit ended in a crash Tuesday night in El Cajon, officials said. The incident began after a 911 caller reported seeing a kidnapping involving a black Hyundai Sonata around 4:55 p.m., police Lt. Nick Sprecco said in a news release.

Police officers and a San Diego-based helicopter stopped a suspected kidnapper and made a shocking discovery in his trunk.

February 26, 2025 (El Cajon) – El Cajon Police responded to a call yesterday from a man who found his mother’s body in the trunk of her car, a black Hyundai Sonata. The caller said he had gone to check on his mother after she didn’t return home from visiting her other son, Richard Leyva, 24, who was staying at the motel.

A man is in custody after El Cajon officers found a dead woman inside the trunk of a car following a police chase that ended in a three-vehicle crash on Tuesday, officials said.