The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department now has a murder suspect in the case of Cori Daye Desmond, the 28-year-old last seen in Redondo Beach who, just after Valentines Day, was found deceased off Highway 330. You may remember the story from February 16, when a CalTrans snowplow operator and motorists in a turnout off Highway 330 below Running Springs found a bagged body off the side of the road which, per the coroner’s office, was identified as that of Desmond, a young woman described by a mutual friend as “a fireball of energy, laughter and love.” Since the incident, homicide investigators have interviewed hundreds of people and served several search warrants; one of 50 anonymous tips provided via WeTip gave the investigators the name of Tony Lopez Perez, a 35-year-old resident of Redondo Beach. Per a statement issued by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, “One of the anonymous sources gave investigators the name of Tony Lopez Perez. The information was vague, and then the caller contacted the investigators again and provided additional information. Investigators identified Perez’s vehicle and determined that he sold his Dodge Durango and purchased a new vehicle. They located the Dodge Durango and obtained a search warrant to look for any possible evidence. Physical evidence was recovered and processed at the Sheriff’s Scientific Investigation Division. On Thursday, October 8, investigators contacted Perez at his home. Perez agreed to meet with investigators at Sheriff’s headquarters that morning. Perez was interviewed and, at the conclusion of the interview, he was arrested and booked at Central Detention Center for Murder. He is being held without bail. Investigators believe that this case would have likely remained unsolved if not for the assistance from the media and the public.” For more information on Cori Daye Desmond, see our stories posted March 4 and February 18.
