Santa Clara County sheriff's deputies have arrested a man in connection with the killing last month of a woman whose body was set on fire near a reservoir west of Morgan Hill, a sheriff's spokesman said Monday.
On Sept. 12, deputies located and arrested Edgardo Gutierrez, 21, in connection with the homicide of 35-year-old Julie Teresa Calocci of San Jose, sheriff's Sgt. Kurtis Stenderup said.
The sheriff's office identified Gutierrez as the suspect and made the arrest based on evidence recovered at the scene where Calocci's body was found and from witness statements, according to Stenderup.
At 8:11 a.m. on Aug. 28, deputies answered a 911 call from a witness who reported seeing flames coming from a body 20 to 30 feet off of Oak Glen Avenue at Uvas Road in an unincorporated county area near the Chesbro Reservoir, sheriff's officials said.
A passing motorist pulled over after seeing smoke and saw the burning body on an embankment off of the roadway, deputies said.
The victim, later identified as Calocci, was so badly charred that authorities were initially unable to determine the person's gender, according to the sheriff's office.
Deputies are asking those who may have information about the homicide to notify the sheriff's office at 408-808-4431.
