A SoCal man killed his girlfriend and dumped her body in the trash, police say

A Costa Mesa man was arrested Tuesday evening on suspicion of murdering his girlfriend and dumping her body in a trash can near their home, authorities said.

Daniel Allen Aldrich, 49, was arrested in Glendale in connection with the death of Julie Anne Sanetra, 38, of Irvine, according to the Costa Mesa Police Department.

According to the department, police received a call around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday about a dead woman found in the backyard of a home located in the 1900 block of Maple Avenue in Costa Mesa.

Officers found the victim’s lifeless body and began an investigation, quickly identifying her boyfriend Aldrich as a suspect and locating him in Glendale, according to the Costa Mesa Police Department. Assisted by the Glendale Police Department, they arrested Aldrich later that night at a family member’s home in the 3700 block of El Lado Drive.

The grisly allegations have shaken Alrich’s neighbors in his Costa Mesa residential community.

“It’s quiet (here). Everyone’s nice, and that’s a big deal,” local resident Metinee Farley told OnScene TV. “This is very scary.”

Another neighbor, who was identified to OnScene only as Sherri, said the neighborhood had never had “any kind of violence or anything like that, no disturbance.”

He said the suspect had recently moved to the area after a young couple sold the house a few months ago.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Detective K. Moore at 714-754-4986.