How a romantic message led to a murder in Arroyo Grande

October 15, 2025

By KAREN VELIE

When family members asked the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office to check on a missing 50-year-old woman, it sparked an investigation that would lead deputies to discover she had allegedly been murdered by a jealous boyfriend.

Isabel LucasVelasco and her 45-year-old boyfriend Alejandro SorianoOrtiz were working together at a job site in rural Arroyo Grande at 4:05 p.m. on Sept. 12 when another love interest sent her a Snapchat message, “What’s going on my love?”

When interviewed about LucasVelasco, coworkers, including Alejandro SorianoOrtiz, said they last saw her between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the job site, according to a deputy sheriff’s declaration filed in order to hold the murder suspects without bail. Investigator believe Alejandro SorianoOrtiz saw the text and then murdered his girlfriend.

Phone records show both LucasVelasco and Alejandro SorianoOrtiz’s phones left the work site at 5 p.m. and were driven in tandem to Paso Robles. Shortly after he left Arroyo Grande, Alejandro SorianoOrtiz called his brother, Celestino SorianoOrtiz of Santa Maria.

At approximately 6 p.m., Alejandro SorianoOrtiz called and then met with a friend in Paso Robles, Alfredo RoblesGarcia.

Alejandro SorianoOrtiz told his friend that LucasVelasco was cheating on him. He said she will not laugh at him, and that he had beat the living daylights out of her, according to the deputy sheriff’s declaration.

He asked his friend for a shovel to help bury a cell phone.

Based on Alejandro SorianoOrtiz’s demeanor, the friend believed he had killed LucasVelasco. The friend told Alejandro SorianoOrtiz, “this was his problem.”

By 7 p.m., phone records show LucasVelasco, Alejandro SorianoOrtiz, and his brother’s phones all traveling together along the same route from SLO County to rural Coalinga, and an the area of Highway 198. Surveillance video shows Alejandro SorianoOrtiz driving a red Toyota Tacoma while his brother drove a White Nissan truck.

Phone records then show the brothers headed back to Coalinga, but LucasVelasco’s phone was no longer with the men, according to the deputy sheriff’s declaration.

Nearly a month later, deputies searched the area off Highway 198 and discovered human remains in a clandestine gravesite along with LucasVelasco’s purse and identification.

After the brothers allegedly disposed of the body, they drove to Avenal where they took LucasVelasco’s car, a black Camaro. Alejandro SorianoOrtiz drove the Camaro to an orchard in rural Fresno County where they allegedly set it on fire. Phone records show both brothers were at the orchard for 10 minutes on the night of the fire.

Law enforcement discovered the burned Camaro on Sept. 14.

Two days after SLO County and Fresno County deputies and rescue teams located LucasVelasco’s body, on Oct. 13, SLO County deputies arrested both brothers.

Alejandro SorianoOrtiz faces charges of murder, arson in connection with burning LucasVelasco’s vehicle, filing a false insurance claim, and forging a green card.

Celestino SorianoOrtiz is charged with accessory to murder, arson of LucasVelasco’s vehicle, forging a green card, and possession of a controlled substance.

The brothers have ties to Mexico and spoke on calls intercepted by the SLO County Sheriff’s Office of fleeing to Mexico, according to the deputy sheriff’s declaration.

San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Rita Federman ruled Wednesday that the brothers, both of whom are undocumented immigrants, will remain in jail without bail.

Following their arrests, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged immigration detainers against the brothers. California law restricts when law enforcement can comply, which includes murder or arson convictions, but not arrests.

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