On April 11, 2023, the body of 24-year-old San Jose resident, Oliver Waterfall, was discovered down a hillside off Highway 9 near mile marker 3.56 in Santa Cruz County. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene around 7 p.m., initiating an investigation into the suspicious death. An autopsy later confirmed that Waterfall had died from a gunshot wound, leading authorities to classify the case as a homicide.
Over the subsequent two weeks, detectives conducted numerous interviews and meticulously reviewed surveillance footage to piece together the events leading to Waterfall's death. Their investigation culminated on April 26 with the arrests of 27-year-old Dennis Novoa of San Jose and 22-year-old Diana Ornelas of Santa Clara. Both individuals were known to Waterfall, and the motive for the homicide is believed to be of a personal nature.
Ornelas, who was employed as a preschool teacher at the Children's Center of the Stanford Community (CCSC), was apprehended on the Stanford University campus during naptime. The arrest was conducted outside the perimeter of the CCSC campus to avoid disrupting operations, and no children were present during the incident. Following her arrest, Ornelas was terminated from her position at the preschool. Both she and Novoa are currently held without bail, facing charges of first-degree murder.
The relationship between Waterfall, Novoa, and Ornelas, as well as the specific circumstances leading to the homicide, remain under investigation. Authorities have not publicly disclosed detailed information regarding the nature of their connections or the events that transpired. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office continues to urge anyone with additional information related to the case to come forward to assist in the ongoing investigation.
