2 men arrested in connection to death of missing Coalinga mother, deputies say

Marc Anthony Lopez Image
Tuesday, October 14, 2025
2 men arrested in connection to death of missing Coalinga mother, deputies say

COALINGA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Two men have been arrested after deputies found a body suspected to be a missing mother from Coalinga.

50-year-old Isabel Lucas Velasco disappeared on September 12.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office says one of the men arrested is her ex-boyfriend, 45-year-old Alejandro SorianoOrtiz. The other suspect is his brother, 40-year-old Celestino SorianoOrtiz.

50-year-old Isabel Lucas Velasco was last seen on September 12 at a jobsite in rural Arroyo Grande. (Photo provided by Velasco's family.)
50-year-old Isabel Lucas Velasco was last seen on September 12 at a jobsite in rural Arroyo Grande. (Photo provided by Velasco's family.)

On Saturday, search teams and detectives from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office and the Fresno County Sheriff's Office located a body, believed to be Velasco, near Highway 198, west of Coalinga.

The body has been turned over to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Coroner's Office for confirmation of identification.

Lucas Velasco was last seen at a jobsite in rural Arroyo Grande. Investigators called the circumstances surrounding her disappearance suspicious.

Last Monday, San Luis Obispo County sheriff's detectives seized two trucks as evidence.

Alejandro was arrested on one count of murder and arson related to the victim's vehicle being burned. Celestino was arrested as an accessory to murder and for arson.

Stay with ABC30 for the latest details on this developing story.

45-year-old Alejandro SorianoOrtiz (left) and his brother, 40-year-old Celestino SorianoOrtiz, have been arrested in connection to the death of a missing Coalinga mother.
45-year-old Alejandro SorianoOrtiz (left) and his brother, 40-year-old Celestino SorianoOrtiz, have been arrested in connection to the death of a missing Coalinga mother.

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