Cori Desmond, a popular waitress in Torrance, was last seen at a Redondo Beach restaurant. Her body was found last year stuffed into a bag and
dumped in the snow near a San Bernardino County highway, about 100
miles away.
A driver who pulled into a turnout on the west side
of Highway 330 near mile marker 38 in Running Springs reported seeing
what he believed to be a human foot protruding from a bag.
This week, a restaurant chef accused of killing her was ordered to
stand trial for murder.
Tony Lopez Perez said he found Desmond’s body and decided to dispose of it in
the mountains, according to records recently made public and reviewed by KTLA.
According to a search warrant affidavit filed Nov. 25, the Redondo
Beach man told detectives he found Desmond’s body lying next to his
Dodge Durango outside his apartment. Perez claimed he put the body in a duffel bag, placed it in his
vehicle, went to work at the Spitfire Grill in Santa Monica and then
transported it 80 miles, according to the affidavit, according to KTLA News.
The North Torrance High
School graduate had worked a shift at Beaches, a restaurant and bar in
Manhattan Beach, before going to Bac Street Lounge in Redondo Beach about 11 p.m. to see
friends.
— Shelby Grad
Photo credits: KTLA
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