Suspect in May 31 Huntington Beach murder of nurse arrested near border

Huntington Beach police detectives have arrested a 35-year-old Diamond Bar man suspected of involvement in the May 31 murder of a traveling nurse found dead inside a local residence.

Christopher Daniel Mendez, 35, was detained Friday at an undisclosed location near the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a Huntington Beach police news release issued Monday.

Detectives collaborated with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the state department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the U.S. Consulate General in Tijuana to locate Mendez, who was apprehended Friday at around 5:30 p.m. while trying to reenter the U.S. from Mexico, according to police.

Mendez was identified Wednesday as a person of interest in the death of Nicole Karin Marquises, 35, of Walnut. The two were reportedly dating, investigators said.

Officers first responded to a call placed at around 2:30 p.m. on May 31 regarding a possible suspicious death at a residence on the 1100 block of England Street in Huntington Beach. That’s where they discovered Marquises’ body and immediately began an investigation to locate a possible suspect.

Mendez was, as of Monday, in custody and being held on $2-million bail. He is due to appear in court Thursday for an arraignment hearing.

The investigation remains ongoing, and no additional details have been released at this time. Further information on the initial press release and updates can be found online on the Welcome to Huntington Beach website.

Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to call Det. Richard Chen at (714) 536-5653. To remain anonymous, contact OC Crime Stoppers at (855) TIP-OCCS or (855) 847-6227.