Police said the case began with a welfare check tied to a dispute at a Via Curvada home.
CHULA VISTA, CA — A woman reported missing after visiting a home in Chula Vista was found dead Sunday in a nearby park, and a 41-year-old tenant has been arrested on suspicion of murder, police said.
The case moved from a missing person call to a homicide investigation after officers found signs of a serious injury inside a home in the 600 block of Via Curvada. Police identified the suspect as Robert Watkins of Chula Vista and said he was connected to a landlord-tenant dispute involving the home.
Officers were called to the home at about 1:51 p.m. Sunday after a woman reported that her sister had gone missing following a visit to their mother’s house. Police said the missing woman had gone there to address a problem involving a tenant her mother was renting to. Officers found the missing woman’s vehicle at the property but did not find her. “During the welfare check, officers found evidence that someone had been badly injured,” Chula Vista police said. Detectives from the department’s Crimes of Violence Unit then took over the case and began treating the call as a possible violent crime.
Police said Watkins and the missing woman were involved in what investigators described as a landlord-tenant dispute. Detectives later interviewed Watkins, who police said told them he had killed the missing person and had disposed of her body near the residence. Police said Watkins did not tell officers where the body could be found. As investigators continued working the case, officers were called to Paseo del Rey Park after someone reported seeing something suspicious in bushes. Investigators responded to the park and confirmed that a person found there was dead. Police had not publicly released the victim’s name as of Wednesday, pending family notification and official identification.
The home on Via Curvada is in a residential area near Paseo del Rey Park, where the body was found. Neighbors told local reporters that police activity around the home made clear something serious had happened. Ray Bader, who lives in the neighborhood, said the scene did not appear to be routine. “The amount of the activity that was here, it was not something minor,” Bader said. “This was something big happened there.” Police have not released the woman’s age, her cause of death or the exact evidence found inside the home. Investigators also have not described what led to the dispute or how long Watkins had been staying at the property.
Watkins was arrested and booked into San Diego County Jail. Police said he faces a murder allegation, and NBC 7 reported that he faces a first-degree murder charge. His arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, May 28. The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office would decide what formal charges to file in court. Court records and charging documents could provide more detail on the accusation, the alleged timeline and whether prosecutors seek any special allegations. As of Wednesday, police described the investigation as active and said detectives were still seeking information from anyone who may know more about what happened.
The case centers on two nearby locations: the home where the missing person report began and the park where the body was found. Police have said the body was discovered after a separate report from the park, not because Watkins identified the location. Investigators have not said whether the body was hidden, how long it had been there or whether anyone else may have seen activity near the bushes before the discovery. The killing has drawn attention in the neighborhood because it began as a family’s search for a missing woman and quickly became a homicide case tied to a housing dispute.
Watkins remained in custody ahead of his scheduled Thursday arraignment. Police had not announced the victim’s identity, cause of death or additional arrests by Wednesday, May 27.
Author note: Last updated May 27, 2026.