For six years, a San Diego grandmother refused to let her daughter’s suspected killer disappear. Working largely on her own, she pushed a cross-border search that mixed old-school flyers and wanted posters with targeted social media ads and a relentless follow-up on every tip. Her pursuit eventually aligned with an official manhunt, ending with an arrest overseas and a return to San Diego, where the case is now moving through local courts as the family keeps pressing for answers.
Raymond "RJ" McLeod, a former U.S. Marine, was arrested in Sonsonate, El Salvador, on Aug. 30, 2022, then deported to San Diego to face a murder charge. The Marshals said they had placed him on their 15 Most Wanted list and posted a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to his capture, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
The killing in San Diego
On June 10, 2016, 30-year-old Krystal Mitchell was found unresponsive at an apartment in the Mission Gorge area of San Diego. A deputy medical examiner later ruled that she had been strangled. Police identified McLeod as the last person seen with Mitchell and sought a warrant within days of her death, according to KPBS.
A mother's search
Mitchell’s mother, Josephine Wentzel, a former police detective, turned her grief into a long-running investigation of her own. She printed flyers, paid for targeted Facebook ads throughout Central America and later launched a nonprofit, Angels of Justice, to support other families dealing with unsolved cases. Wentzel has written books about the case and, by her account and in statements cited by officials, worked in close coordination with investigators over the years, as reported by NBC News.
The final tip
According to Wentzel and others, the break they needed arrived in the form of a brochure from an English school near the Guatemala–El Salvador border that surfaced after one of her ads ran. That clue helped narrow tips to the city of Sonsonate. Four days after that lead came in, local and U.S. authorities detained McLeod in a classroom. The Marshals said he confirmed his identity and was returned to the United States to face charges, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Legal next steps
Once back in San Diego, McLeod pleaded not guilty, according to KPBS. His attorneys have argued that Mitchell’s death was accidental and occurred during what they describe as "rough, consensual" sexual activity, not an intentional killing. Prosecutors say the evidence points to a violent struggle. After defense lawyers accused authorities of withholding electronic materials, the district attorney re-filed the murder charge in June 2025 so the defense could review discovery, according to Times of San Diego. McLeod is being held without bail while the court schedules new preliminary hearing dates.
Wentzel says she keeps pushing the case forward for her grandchildren and for other families still living with unanswered questions. She has used the attention around McLeod’s arrest to call for stronger support for cold-case investigations. As motions and hearings play out in San Diego courtrooms, the family and a growing circle of supporters remain focused on getting a full account of what happened the night Mitchell died, as reported by NBC News.
