Back in July 2023, a person driving an ATV reported they found a female’s body in a field near a shopping center in San Antonio.
SAN ANTONIO — More than a year after a woman’s body was found in a filed near a northeast-side shopping center, a man has been arrested in connection to the case.
Back in July 2023, a person driving an ATV reported they found a female’s deceased body in a field covered by cardboard near a shopping center at the intersection of Foster Road and Summer Fest Drive.
The woman was later identified as 29-year-old Alysa Graves.
Medical examiners confirmed that she had died due to injuries sustained to her head. The manner of death was undetermined but Bexar County deputies were investigating it as a homicide.
Her mother, Laura Valtierra had been waiting for this day for a year and a half. She said Thursday afternoon, a detective sent her photos of 36-year-old Christopher Hottel in handcuffs.
“My heart sunk,” Valtierra said. “It’s been a long year and five months. The loss of her has literally debilitated me.”
BCSO said Hottel was taken into custody while at his construction job Thursday without incident. He is facing charges of manslaughter, aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury and continuous violence against the family.
Investigators said when Graves was discovered, Hottel was at the scene. He claimed they were homeless and she had drank the night before and he woke up to her unresponsive.
However, investigators said it was suspicious given her injuries. They said they learned from witnesses there was a history of domestic violence.
Valtierra said before her daughter met Hottel, she was successful and independent. She said her daughter was a mechanic, bartender, and would financially help anyone she could.
She said she was trying to leave Hottel when she was killed.
“We had a plane ticket for her to come home,” Valtierra said. “She was trying to get away from this abusive relationship and to lose her at the last minute when she was ready to come home, was really hard on us.”
Graves would have turned 31 last month. Valtierra feels as if this arrest is the first step towards her family’s healing.
“Today, I stopped grieving, today, I started celebrating life,” Valtierra said.
Valtierra said she has this message for the man accused of killing her daughter.
“I forgive you because I have to because my God won’t forgive me if I don’t forgive you, but you still have to be held accountable for your actions,” Valtierra said.