Man charged with Paso Robles woman’s death pleads not guilty
Latest (1/3/2019)
The man accused of murdering a Paso Robles woman and leading law enforcement to her body pleads not guilty.
The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s office announced today Carlo Fuentes Flores entered the plea Thursday and will have a pre-preliminary hearing on Monday, January 7, 2019.
Flores is accused of murdering Nancy Woodrum back in May. He was reportedly working for Woodrum as a painter at the time of her disappearance.
Investigators said Flores led them to Woodrum’s body last month in a rural part of far eastern San Luis Obispo County.
According to the San Luis Obispo sheriff’s office, they believe Flores acted alone.
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Latest (12/20/2018)
Murder charges have been filed against a man who led police to the body of a missing Paso Robles woman.
Carlos Alberto Fuentes Flores will be arraigned in San Luis Obispo Superior Court tomorrow, Dec. 21st for the murder of Nancy Woodrum.
Wednesday SLO County Sheriff Ian Parkinson made the announcement that a suspect had been identified in November, but just Tuesday of this week following lengthy questioning Flores led authorities to Woodrum’s body in a rural part of the county off of Highway 58.
Woodrum had hired the defendant to paint her deck during the week leading up to her disappearance.
Thursday the D.A.’s office made the formal announcement charging Flores with murder.
“I am grateful for the excellent work by the Sheriff’s Office personnel who followed every lead in this case that led to solving the disappearance of Nancy Woodrum. We are deeply saddened by the fact that she was not found alive and we send our heartfelt condolences to Nancy’s family,” said District Attorney Dan Dow. “We are firmly committed to seeking justice for Nancy and her family and will vigorously and fairly pursue that end.”
Flores could face the death penalty if special circumstances are found to be involved in the crime or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
He is currently being held in the San Luis Obispo County Jail without bail.
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San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson confirmed at a Wednesday press conference that a body was found on Dec. 18 believed to be 62-year-old Paso Robles resident Nancy Woodrum who disappeared without a trace in May 2018.
Parkinson said they have arrested a suspect in the case. They have identified him as Carlos Alberto Fuentes Flores.
Authorities say the focus turned on Flores as the primary suspect in early November 2018.
“In this particular case, DNA evidence was recovered from the scene, however, there were no known matches to that DNA evidence in the state or national database. A suspect was developed after many interviews and the recovery of some electronic evidence,” said Parkinson.
He continued, “A DNA sample was obtained by that possible suspect and determined to have a DNA match to this investigation.”
Woodrum, 62, was reported missing from her home in rural Paso Robles on May 5, 2018. She was last seen the day before by neighbors.
Parkinson said that Flores led detectives to Woodrum’s body after being interviewed by authorities. The body was found off of Highway 58 in the far east part of San Luis Obispo County — approximately 30 minutes away from Woodrum’s home, Parkinson said.
Flores worked at the property where Woodrum lived as a painter, according to Parkinson. When asked how long the two kew each other, the sheriff added that he believed their contact was “very limited.”
Evidence suggests that Flores operated alone, said Parkinson. He was arrested and booked into San Luis Obispo Jail for homicide.
