Family members accuse deputy’s father of killing her in Tooele home

SALT LAKE CITY — There are exclusive new details in the suspicious death of Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputy Marbella Martinez.

Her mother, Barbara Jimenez, and sister, Marcela Martinez, spoke with KSL TV about Marbella Martinez’s death. They declined to speak on camera. However, they gave KSL TV permission to share their story.

According to Jimenez, 25-year-old Marbella lived with her dad, Hector Martinez-Ayala, 54, in Tooele.

Jimenez said Marbella had a disagreement with her dad on July 30, though Jimenez wasn’t sure what it was about. The next day, Marbella told her mom she wasn’t feeling well and was going to call in sick for work.

“The last message I had from her was around 2 p.m.,” Jimenez said, as she explained that though she lives in Belize, she is in daily contact with Marbella.

Growing concern

Jimenez said she grew concerned a few hours later and contacted her ex-husband, who at first told her Marbella was at work, and then started avoiding her messages.

“He responded that he was busy and would call me back later. Then he said he was busy feeding his cats and dogs,” Jimenez said. “Later, he stopped answering me.”

Jimenez said she spent all night unsuccessfully reaching out to Marbella and Hector, so early Thursday morning, she contacted Hector’s brother who lives in Salt Lake County. According to Jimenez, Hector’s brother promised to drive to Tooele to check on the pair.

“I think he got to the house, and it was locked, so he asked me to give him 30 more minutes,” Jimenez said.

Soon after, Jimenez received the call that police had discovered Marbella deceased in her bedroom and no sign of her father.

‘We know he killed her’

“When Marbella’s uncle called me, he just said, ‘I’m so sorry’ and I knew it. I could just feel something had happened to my daughter,” Jimenez said. “And I know Hector did something to her. He has a temper sometimes.”

“We know he killed her,” Jimenez said. “I just want justice for my daughter. She was beautiful and kind and had the rest of her life to live.”

The Tooele Police Department declined to comment on the case on Tuesday, but on Monday confirmed Marbella was found dead inside her home in the area of 1220 E. 970 North, after officers responded to a welfare check called in by her uncle around 8:20 a.m.

Police said there were no gunshots or incidents reported the night before that would lead them to think something had happened inside the home.

“We have no reports the night before of shots fired or a suspicious person or anything like that. There was nothing beforehand that would have led us to think something may have occurred there,” Corporal Bentley, with Tooele Police, said.

Bentley said they are waiting for test results to determine a cause of death.

“There are some details we can’t disclose right now, but there were signs to any well-trained detective of what likely occurred, so we have a pretty good idea of what we’re working with,” Bentley said.

“They told us it would take six to eight weeks to hear the report from the Medical Examiner,” Jimenez said. “We don’t know how she died because we weren’t here when they found her. We flew in on Saturday.”

Investigation into ‘suspicious’ death

Bentley said Marbella’s death is being investigated as suspicious and named Hector a person of interest.

“He’s not in custody at this time. We’re still working on locating Hector, we’re working with federal and state agencies to help us,” Bentley said, adding there is a possibility Hector has fled the country.

Jimenez said Hector is originally from Honduras, but she does not believe he has left the country.

Marbella was sworn in as a corrections officer with the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 11, 2024, after completing the Sheriff’s academy. She served at the Salt Lake County Jail.

On Tuesday, Sheriff Rosie Rivera discussed Marbella’s case during a Salt Lake County Council meeting and said she was in contact with family members.

“They do not plan to have any services at this time, so we are trying to work with the family and it is just heartbreaking for them,” Rivera said.  “Unfortunately, with these types of cases that are ruled as suspicious, it does take some time to get a death certificate.”

Rivera said the Sheriff’s Office was offering Marbella’s family financial support through a mutual aid program and the Honorary Colonels program.