'Sweetest Teacher in the World' Is Found Dead in Trunk in Burning Vehicle, Suspect Arrested

"Things will never be the same ever again. We miss her so much," Veronica Aguilar's brother wrote on a GoFundMe page

A California man is accused of killing a woman whose burned body was allegedly discovered in the trunk of a vehicle at his home last week.

Matthew Switalski, 37, was arrested in connection with the death of 27-year-old elementary school teacher Veronica Aguilar.

On Dec. 20, at approximately 8:32 a.m., Los Angeles County deputies were called to a block in the city of Quartz Hill near Lancaster. When police and fire personnel arrived, the garage of the home Switalksi owned was on fire.

Firefighters reported that they found Aguilar’s burned body in the trunk of a vehicle in the garage.

“My little sister Veronica was taken from us on December 20 2023,” her brother Juan Aguilar wrote on GoFundMe. “Her story is all over the news of her brutal death. Things will never be the same ever again. We miss her so much. She had the best spirit she always had a smile. My family is heartbroken.”

Aguilar described his sister as “so smart. She was an elementary school teacher, a UCLA graduate, and an amazing person in all.”

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"My heart is broken, she was the sweetest teacher in the world we were blessed to have her in our lives,” one woman wrote on the page, which has so far raised more than $20,000 for funeral expenses. “Ms Aguilar thank you for every smile, every moment we shared together, your kindness and love for your students, you were the sweetest teacher ever.”

According to KTLA, shortly before the slaying, a neighbor reportedly heard a woman's scream and an explosion.

“Around 2 a.m., I heard a blood-curdling scream,” the neighbor told KTLA. “I had just opened my window after I was finished with some work and when I went to go check, I didn’t hear it anymore.”

Neighbors told KTLA that Switalski was once employed with Northrop Grumman, an aerospace and defense technology company.

Switalski was found Thursday night in Kern County, where he was taken into custody, KABC reported.

He’s being held on a $10 million bail, per the Los Angeles Times. It's not immediately clear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney.

Anyone with information is asked to call the LASD’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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