The wife and mother-in-law of a missing New Hope man were both formally charged Monday with murder.
Christina Martinez Vasquez, 37, appeared in Lowndes County Justice Court, where judge Ron Cooke set her bond at $500,000. She remains in the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center.
Vasquez’s mother, Lydia Martinez, was also charged Monday with murder. Cooke told The Dispatch this morning that he set her bail at $500,000 at a local hospital, where she remains after authorities found her unconscious inside the residence at 155 Windchase Drive in New Hope last Wednesday.
The charges the women face are related to the disappearance of Manuel Vasquez, a missing 40-year-old man who has not been seen since late June.
Investigators with the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department, while looking into Vasquez’s disappearance last week, discovered burned human remains in two different spots in his yard at 155 Windchase Drive.
Coroner Greg Merchant said the remains have not yet been formally identified as belonging to Manuel Vasquez.
Cooke said the case will likely be presented to a grand jury this fall.
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