A Southern California man is charged with murdering a missing teenager after his remains were found in the Salton Sea
A 51-year-old man has been charged in connection with the death of a missing teenager whose body was found in the Salton Sea two months ago.
The Imperial County District Attorney’s Office charged Abraham H. Feinbloom on Tuesday with first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated battery in connection with the use and discharge of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
Feinbloom pleaded not guilty, according to court records and prosecutors. He faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
The charges came five days after authorities arrested Feinbloom and served a search warrant at his home in the 2800 block of Harlequin Court in Salton City, where the girl was last seen, according to the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office and the child’s mother.
Authorities said Feinbloom has long been a person of interest in the missing person case of 17-year-old T’Neya Tovar.
Her mother, Chaya Tovar, reported her missing in December. Tovar did not respond to a request for comment. But Tovar recounted his efforts to get his daughter back from him A Facebook accountsince December 17 when he asked for help from the public to find him.
“He wasn’t on social media and his phone was going straight to voicemail. His friend dropped him off about two weeks ago and he hasn’t heard from her,” Tovar wrote on Facebook. “The police were sent to the last address where they were dropped off, no one answered and the doors were locked, the police said there was nothing they could do.”
On Dec. 21, Tovar posted videos from her daughter’s social media account that Tovar said were taken from the home where her daughter was last seen. He did not say when it was filmed.
A few hours after his posting, deputies assigned to the Salton City sheriff’s station responded to a call about the discovery of human remains in Salton City. Later they decided it was a human leg.
On December 24, Tovar posted a missing person’s flyer showing photos of his daughter and a body description that included a tattoo on the back of her left hand.
The airline identified Feinbloom as a person of interest. It included the home address.
On Jan. 5, Tovar posted a photo of a U-Haul truck parked in the driveway of Feinbloom.
“He’s trying to walk away,” Tovar said in his post.
Two days later, he responded to a post on the Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook account after it released information about the discovery of a human leg and asked for the public’s help in identifying the victim.
Tovar contacted investigators, who took a DNA sample from him and compared it to DNA from the organ.
On February 6, the Sheriff’s Office said there was a match and determined that the leg belonged to Tovar’s daughter. Investigators said they were unable to find the boy’s body.
On February 13, the Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant at Feinbloom’s home, where they say he tried to flee.
He was arrested and booked into the Imperial County Jail on suspicion of murder and resisting an officer. Prosecutors, however, only charged him with murder and the two enhancements.
Feinbloom has had other legal pursuits. In 2014, he was charged with multiple counts of fraud, but the charges were dropped, according to court records. Four years later, he was charged with kidnapping and false imprisonment, but the charge was again dismissed, according to court records.
Investigators said they have not yet found a reason for the girl’s alleged murder. The Sheriff’s Office said the investigation was conducted with the assistance of the FBI, the County Sheriff’s Office and the district attorney’s office.
The night before Feinbloom’s arrest, Tovar took to Facebook to post an update on her daughter’s case. He posted a memorial photo of his daughter.
The young man is wearing dark glasses and braided hair in a bun with green highlights. He has his hand next to his chin, and above him are the words “RIP T’neya Tovar”
Behind him are the wings of the great, shining angels set against a golden, cloudy sky, forming the heavenly title. At the bottom of the photo, it reads, “I left too soon.”
