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Pre-trial release has been denied for an Elmhurst man accused of stabbing to death a woman he called to his home. 21-year-old Claudia Mojarrieta-Matos was found stabbed to death early last Saturday morning.

Santino Ortiz, 22 (d.o.b. 4/2/2003) of the 600 block of W. Belden Avenue, appeared in First Appearance Court Tuesday afternoon, charged with six counts of First Degree Murder, one count of Armed Robbery (Class X Felony) and one count of Concealment of Homicidal Death (Class 3 Felony).

On December 6, 2025, at approximately 4:35 a.m., Elmhurst police officers responded to a 911 call of a missing person, later identified as Mojarrieta-Matos. After speaking with the male complainant, it is alleged that he dropped Mojarrieta-Matos off at approximately 1:00 a.m., in the 600 block W. Lorraine Avenue, in Elmhurst, to meet with another person, later identified as Ortiz. It should be noted that W. Lorraine Avenue and W. Belden Avenue are one block apart, run parallel, and Ortiz’s address is directly north of the Lorraine Avenue address where Mojarrieta-Matos was dropped off.

Approximately fifteen minutes later, the 911 caller received a phone call from Mojarrieta-Matos during which he heard a struggle and the victim crying followed by an abrupt termination of the phone call. When he returned to the area and was unable to locate Mojarrieta-Matos, he called 911 and filed the missing person report. Through the course of their investigation, the Elmhurst Police Department identified Ortiz as a suspect in Mojarrieta-Matos’ disappearance.

Officers with the Elmhurst Police Department contacted Ortiz and he agreed to meet with them at the Elmhurst Police Department at approximately 4:30 p.m. that afternoon, where, after officers interviewed Ortiz, he was taken into custody.

It is alleged that Ortiz solicited Mojarrieta-Matos for prostitution and arranged to meet her in the 600 block of W. Lorraine Avenue. It is further alleged that after Mojarrieta-Matos arrived at the W. Lorraine Avenue address, Ortiz led her into his garage. It is alleged that while in Ortiz’s garage, he grabbed Mojarrieta-Matos, forced her to the ground face down and repeatedly slammed her head on the garage floor. It is alleged that Ortiz then got a knife out of his pocket and repeatedly stabbed Mojarrieta-Matos from behind. It is further alleged that Ortiz then wrapped her head in a garbage bag and put her body in a garbage can.

It is alleged that at approximately 8:00 a.m., Ortiz placed Mojarrieta-Matos’ body in his pickup truck, left his house and ultimately discarded Mojarrieta-Matos’ body in a rural area in Wadsworth, Illinois, approximately forty feet off the roadway, amongst some brush and trees. An autopsy conducted by the Lake County Coroner’s Office found Mojarrieta-Matos had been stabbed approximately seven times in her face and head.

Ortiz’s next court appearance is scheduled for January 5, 2026, in front of Judge Margaret O’Connell. Members of the public are reminded that this complaint contains only charges and is not proof of the defendant’s guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.