Girlfriend faces murder charge after missing Rio Linda man’s body found in shallow grave
Months after the bullet-riddled body of a missing Rio Linda man was found buried in a shallow grave, his girlfriend sits in a Sacramento jail cell on a murder charge while her alleged accomplice remains at large.
Sacramento County sheriff’s investigators say 47-year-old Matthew Clark went missing in December 2023 after an argument with his live-in girlfriend, Sofia Fermin. Deputies and an FBI evidence team discovered Clark’s mummified corpse a year later in December 2024 buried in a lot in the 100 block of U Street in Rio Linda, sheriff’s officials said. Clark had been shot five times. Investigators say Fermin pulled the trigger.
Now the 38-year-old Fermin is being held without bail in Sacramento County Main Jail awaiting a March 27 Sacramento Superior Court hearing in connection with Clark’s killing and sheriff’s detectives are searching for 42-year-old Jerry Mulford as an accessory after the fact. Authorities believe Mulford may have left the state.
Fermin’s brother became suspicious after Clark’s disappearance, calling deputies in January 2024 after sister Sofia sold Clark’s truck and other belongings, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff’s missing persons detectives took on the case and in June, San Joaquin County Sheriff’s deputies found Clark’s truck in San Joaquin County. Inside were fingerprints that investigators said matched Mulford’s.
Sofia Fermin, who was in Sacramento County custody on an unrelated charge, told detectives that she wasn’t sure of her boyfriend’s whereabouts but said he might have checked into a rehabilitation facility.
Sheriff’s homicide detectives picked up the case in September, deputies said, with witness interviews, then warrants, leading them to believe Fermin was involved in Clark’s killing and burial. Deputies arrested Fermin on suspicion of murder at her home in December and have an outstanding warrant for Mulford’s arrest.
Anyone with information regarding Mulford’s whereabouts or the investigation into Clark’s death can contact the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office at 916-874-5115 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at 916-443-4357.
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