Dacara Thompson confirmed dead: She ‘willfully entered’ the vehicle of the man accused of killing her, cops allege

Maryland teen Dacara Thompson is confirmed dead, and a 35-year-old man is in custody and charged with her murder. Authorities say surveillance camera footage led them to the suspect, and showed Thompson “willfully entered” the man’s SUV the night she disappeared. It’s unclear if Thompson knew the man before she vanished.

Reportedly, authorities tracked murder suspect Hugo Hernandez-Mendez to a home in Bowie, Maryland, about six miles from Lanham, Maryland, where 19-year-old Thompson was last seen. Investigators say they found evidence that Hernandez-Mendez murdered Thompson inside a bedroom at the home, before he left her body on the roadside in nearby Anne Arundel County.

Thompson left her father’s home to get gas on August 22, 2025. Surveillance camera footage showed her parking her car around 1:30 a.m. the next morning in Hyattsville, Maryland, near Lanham. Her family said that she had no reason to be in that area.

After locating Thompson’s car, investigators found most of her belongings in the vehicle, but her cell phone and key fob were missing. Police said there were no immediate signs of foul play.

A body found

On August 31, Maryland State Police responding to a report of a disabled vehicle along Route 50 in Anne Arundel County, about 20 miles from Lanham, discovered a woman’s body in a grassy area off the highway.

Initially, law enforcement noted that the characteristics of the body resembled those of Thompson, but officials made clear that identity confirmation was still pending. In a subsequent announcement on September 5, authorities confirmed that the body was indeed Thompson.

Authorities believe Hernandez-Mendez left Thompson’s body in Anne Arundel County about a week after she died.

Hernandez-Mendez charges

Hernandez-Mendez is now charged with first- and second-degree murder. Police say he offered limited cooperation in their investigation. He is currently in the custody of the Maryland Department of Corrections.

ICE has also issued a detainer, as officials confirmed he is in the country illegally. He will make his first court appearance for a bond hearing on Monday, September 8, in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Local officials stated that U.S. Park Police had previously stopped Hernandez-Mendez in April 2025 for a DUI and released him from custody at that time.

Referring to Thompson, Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy said, “This is a young woman who dedicated part of her young life to serving others, and I want that to bring home to all of you that this is a good, good, good young woman who wanted to do good for her community, and now her community will stand behind her family as we seek justice for her.”