Detectives Abandon Search for Body of Sandra Rosas

Sheriff’s investigators Saturday abandoned a search for the body of the wife of Los Lobos musician Cesar Rosas at a Rowland Heights park after concluding that her convicted murderer lied about where he buried her remains.

Sheriff’s homicide detectives had searched Schabarum Regional Park about 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles for Sandra Rosas’ body for the last three days after Gabriel Gomez, her convicted killer, led authorities there.

“There was no indication there was a corpse in the park,” said Sheriff’s Deputy Cruz Solis. “[Detectives] do not believe Gabriel Gomez was was truthful and remorseful when he said he would lead detectives to the burial site.”

Gomez was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without parole for killing Rosas. Hours later, he provided detectives with a map and accompanied them to the park. Up until then, he had maintained his innocence.

His attorney, Antonio J. Bestard, said Gomez decided to cooperate after feeling remorse as Rosas’ relatives testified about their loss during his sentencing hearing.

On Friday, dogs trained to sniff out cadavers “hit” on something that was in a dirt mound about 5 feet long and 3 feet wide in the park’s De Leon Creek bed, officials said.

Investigators accompanied by a forensic anthropologist returned to the spot Saturday morning, but did not find a body.

Rosas vanished from her Rowland Heights home on Oct. 23, 1999, while her husband was in New Orleans with the band. Her van was found abandoned a few days later in nearby La Puente.

Although her body was never found, Gomez was convicted after a trial in which DNA analysis linked traces of blood found in Rosas’ van to him and the victim.