Body of missing 22-year-old woman discovered in car in Southeast Fresno

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The body of a young woman missing since Friday was found in a car in southeast Fresno Sunday morning.

Police say 22-year-old Breanna Bradford was last seen leaving her home near West Ashlan with her ex-boyfriend Thursday night after 11 p.m.

Family members say moments before they left, the two had a heated argument inside. However, it was Friday afternoon when Bradford was reported missing after she did not show up to her first day of work at IHOP in Downtown Fresno.

And then just two days later, authorities received a call after 4 a.m. leading them to Bradford's car parked at Ventura and Ninth Streets.

Officers say inside was her body, and it had visible signs of foul play. Police say based on family members reports, police had enough reason to believe her ex-boyfriend could be responsible for this, and it turns out he's already been in jail since Friday for another crime.

Family members of Bradford contacted the Fresno Police Department Friday afternoon to report her missing and believe she was kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend, 35-year-old James Gay.

"During that argument, Bradford pulled out what was described as two firearms and placed them on the table and at that time told Bradford that those weapons were not for her," Dyer said.

It turns out, police already had him in custody for another crime, Police Chief Jerry Dyer says officers arrested Gay that morning after responding to a call where he violently tried carjacking a mailman's truck.

Officers continued to search for Bradford throughout the weekend until they received a call about a suspicious car based on an odor coming from it.

"There were investigation crime cars coming and there was a car there they were investigating it," a witness said.

Chief Dyer says that's where officers found Bradford's body with traumatic injuries. He says they are looking at Gay as the primary suspect in Bradford's death because of the moments leading up to her disappearance.

Dyer says Gay has a long criminal history and has been in and out of California's prison system.