Dad Accused of Stalking, Killing Deputy Daughter Allegedly Texted About 'Unforgivable Sin: 'I Will Never Come Back'

Marbella Martinez was killed less than six months after she was sworn in as a corrections officer with the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office

The Utah father who's accused by police of killing his sheriff's deputy daughter allegedly texted his brother that he "made a big mistake, an unforgivable sin," according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.

Hector Ramon Martinez-Ayala, 54, allegedly sent the text message to his sibling around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 31, the day before police discovered the body of his daughter, 25-year-old Marbella Martinez, around 8 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 1, in the Tooele home the pair shared, according to the probable cause affidavit.

After the text about the "unforgivable sin," Martinez-Ayala allegedly texted, "now I’m too scared and I don’t know what to do. I think I will never come back," per the affidavit.

Officers found Martinez’s body “lying on top of the bed, covered with a blanket up to her neck,” per the affidavit. She had been strangled.

Martinez was killed less than six months after she was sworn in as a corrections officer with the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Martinez-Ayala, who authorities say fled the country after his daughter's death, was charged on Friday, Sept. 6 with murder, two counts of obstruction of justice, stalking a cohabitant, unlawful possession of a financial transaction card, unlawful use of a financial transaction card and unlawful possession of another person's identifying documents.

Related: Father of Utah Police Officer Accused of Stalking and Killing Her Before Allegedly Fleeing the Country

“We as a department are working with numerous agencies around the clock to bring Hector into custody for what he did," Tooele City Police Department Corporal Colbey Bentley tells PEOPLE. "We have confiscated numerous items of interest to Hector, including his vehicle. As we strive to give Deputy Marbella Martinez the justice she is owed, we plead with anyone who may have helpful information or who may be actively helping hide Hector to do the right thing and help us bring Hector into custody for what he did.”

According to the affidavit, authorities allege Martinez-Ayala's behavior towards his daughter had become "increasingly troublesome" and that he had engaged in stalking behavior for months.

“Text records show that the defendant was becoming increasingly obsessed and controlling with the victim,” the affidavit alleges. “The text message records show text messages from the defendant to the victim are more of the nature of a jealous lover than a father.”

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Prosecutors allege that Martinez found a bag of her underwear in his room and Martinez-Ayala had placed a tracking device on her vehicle to find her.

Authorities said he used the tracking device on July 29 to find her and her romantic interest at a hiking area called Bates Canyon. After the incident, Martinez allegedly stayed at a hotel but returned home on July 31. She was last seen on video footage inside her home at 12:23 p.m. that day. Authorities said Martinez-Ayala arrived home at 2:17 p.m.

“The last camera notification on the victim’s phone occurred at 2:17 p.m., which means that the cameras were disabled or disconnected from the internet at this time," states the affidavit. "Any video after the defendant’s arrival at 2:17 p.m. July 21, 2024, was deleted or never existed because of the disabling of the camera after his arrival.”

Per the affidavit, Martinez-Ayala texted his brother just over two hours later.

“My brother, you know much I love you, I made a big mistake, an unforgivable sin, now I’m too scared and I don’t know what to do. I think I will never come back,” he allegedly texted.

Authorities alleged Martinez-Ayala disposed of his daughter's cell phone before driving to the Salt Lake City airport. He flew to San Francisco and Houston and then used his brother’s identification “when he landed in another country and is seen on surveillance video,” the affidavit alleges. "The defendant's whereabouts are unknown, but his last known location was outside of the United States."

Anyone with information is asked to call the Tooele County Dispatch Center at 435-882-5600, option 1.

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