Remains Believed to Be Those of Slain Teen Found Near Salton City

-Editorial 

Human remains believed to be those of T’Neya Tovar, who was 17 when she was killed, were found near Salton City after a plea agreement required the man charged in connection with her death to assist authorities in locating her remains, according to the Imperial County District Attorney’s Office.

The remains were discovered Sept. 29 in an area off Treadwell Boulevard, one day after Abraham H. Feinbloom, 52, entered into a plea agreement in the case, District Attorney George Marquez announced in a press release. 

DNA testing will be conducted to determine whether the remains are Tovar’s, authorities said.

Under the plea agreement, Feinbloom is expected to receive a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 13 years. A condition of the agreement required him to assist law enforcement in locating Tovar’s remains.

Before the agreement, Feinbloom faced one murder count following a preliminary examination. According to the District Attorney’s Office, prosecutors determined that a murder conviction could have resulted in a life sentence with parole eligibility after 16 years.

The District Attorney’s Office said Tovar’s parents, Charro Tovar and Josh Carter, supported the plea agreement and had expressed a desire to recover their daughter’s remains so they could lay her to rest.

Prosecutors said the agreement also secured convictions on two violent felonies and prevents Feinbloom from appealing the convictions. Tovar’s parents and prosecutors will retain the right to participate in future parole hearings and oppose Feinbloom’s release, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Authorities had conducted at least six previous searches for Tovar’s remains without success, according to prosecutors. Those efforts involved multiple local, state and federal agencies and included cadaver dogs, ground-penetrating radar, drones, airplanes and helicopters.

Agencies involved in earlier searches included the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, California Highway Patrol, Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Ontario Police Department, U.S. Border Patrol and Imperial County District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation.

The search included personnel from the Sheriff’s Office and FBI, along with Deputy District Attorney Patricia Madison and Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Stevenson of the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, who was assigned to assist Imperial County with the case.

A forensic anthropology team from NAAG Forensic also participated. The organization’s medical director, Evan Matshes, previously conducted Tovar’s autopsy and testified during the preliminary examination, according to prosecutors.

The District Attorney’s Office said the remains will undergo DNA testing before their identity can be confirmed.