Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, a 35-year-old man from Bowie, Maryland, has been charged with first- and second-degree murder in connection with the death of 19-year-old Dacara Thompson, who was reported missing on August 23, 2025. Her body was discovered on August 31 in a grassy area off Route 50 in Anne Arundel County.

Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, a 35-year-old man from Bowie, Maryland, has been charged with first- and second-degree murder in connection with the death of 19-year-old Dacara Thompson, who was reported missing on August 23, 2025. Her body was discovered on August 31 in a grassy area off Route 50 in Anne Arundel County.

Surveillance footage revealed Thompson entering a black SUV after speaking with the driver in the early morning hours of August 23. The vehicle was traced to a residence in the 12000 block of Kembridge Drive in Bowie, where investigators believe Thompson was killed in a bedroom. Evidence gathered during a search of the home, including suspected blood and a fake fingernail, suggests the murder occurred there. Hernandez-Mendez had access to the SUV and resides in the bedroom where the crime is believed to have taken place.

Although Thompson’s official cause of death has not been released, investigators anticipate it will be ruled a homicide. Detectives are working to determine whether Thompson and Hernandez-Mendez were acquainted prior to the incident. Hernandez-Mendez is currently being held without bond and faces an ICE detainer due to his undocumented status in the U.S.