A three-month investigation into the gruesome discovery of a body inside a Tesla trunk has led to the arrest and arraignment of a Turlock man, authorities announced Wednesday.

Manuel Adrian Salceda, 39, of Turlock, has been charged with murder in connection with the death of 42-year-old Javier Becerril Jr. of Hollister.

On July 9, California Highway Patrol officers from Los Banos responded to a missing person report around 12:20 p.m. Officers located a white Tesla sedan parked on Highway 152, east of Lower Cottonwood Road in Merced County. Upon searching the vehicle, officers discovered Becerril’s body hidden inside the trunk. Investigators with the CHP Central Division’s Major Crime Unit determined that Becerril had been physically assaulted and shot before his body was placed into the trunk of his own vehicle.

Detectives quickly identified Salceda as a person of interest. However, the search grew complex as investigators learned that Salceda was allegedly using multiple false identities to evade law enforcement.

The breakthrough came on Oct. 11, when detectives tracking the suspect developed information that a vehicle transporting Salceda was traveling near Dublin. Investigators tracked the vehicle through several Bay Area counties in a coordinated effort across multiple jurisdictions.

The pursuit concluded at a gas station on Road 8 near Interstate 5 in Woodland, where Salceda was taken into custody without incident.

Salceda was initially booked into the Yolo County Jail before being transferred to the Merced County Jail on Oct. 16.

On Oct. 20, Salceda was officially arraigned in the Merced County Superior Court and charged with murder. The case remains a joint investigation by the CHP and the Merced County District Attorney’s Office.