In the quiet borough of Freehold, New Jersey, the life of Diana Moreno-Acevedo, a 35-year-old immigrant from Colombia, took a tragic and mysterious turn. On the morning of February 20, 2003, Diana was last seen at her apartment located in the 30 block of East Main Street. Having moved to the United States about three years prior, she was known by her family as a responsible and well-organized individual who maintained close contact, calling her mother in Colombia daily. She was employed as a cleaning woman and was building a new life for herself. Described as a Hispanic female with black hair and brown eyes, she stood at five feet three inches tall and weighed approximately 145 pounds. A distinguishing feature was a tattoo of a fish on her right shoulder. When she vanished, she was believed to be wearing an unknown colored shirt, blue jeans, and brown boots, and possibly a thumb ring and another ring on her ring finger.
The day after she was last seen, Diana was reported missing. The events that unfolded shortly after her disappearance quickly suggested that this was not a simple case of a person who had walked away. Authorities suspect foul play and are investigating her disappearance as a homicide, believing she was murdered sometime between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. on the day she was last seen. The investigation soon focused on one of her roommates, Francisca Martinez, who was also reportedly her lover. A disturbing piece of evidence emerged when a woman, identified as Martinez, was seen throwing a plastic trash bag from the window of their shared apartment into an alley. Inside the bag, police discovered bloodstained clothing and a shirt with three holes that resembled stab wounds.
Further investigation into Martinez's actions on the day of Diana's disappearance raised more suspicion. A taxi driver reported taking Martinez to West New York, New Jersey, with two unusually heavy suitcases; she returned to Freehold later that day without them. A search of the apartment uncovered more troubling signs, including blood in Martinez's bedroom and other areas, broken pieces of her fingernails, and a broken knife handle. Authorities believe the blade that belonged to the handle would match the holes in the shirt found in the trash bag. Adding to the grim picture, two men in a black van were seen carrying a rolled-up blanket or carpet from the apartment building that same morning, and a blanket was confirmed to be missing from the residence. Martinez was arrested and charged with tampering with evidence and hindering apprehension. While she has not been charged with murder due to a lack of evidence, the case remains open and Diana Moreno-Acevedo has never been found. The investigation is an ongoing effort to bring closure to a story that began with a young woman's hope for a new life and ended in a mystery that has endured for years.Last Seen: Feb 20, 2003
