Man Charged With Murder of Vanessa Santillan

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Joaquin Gomez-Hernandez in court accused of killing transgender escort

Police investigating the murder of Vanessa Santillan in Fulham have charged a man with her murder.

Joaquin Gomez-Hernandez, aged 23, of Landridge Road, SW6 was charged on Thursday May 14 and appeared in custody on May 15 at Bromley Magistrates’ Court charged with Vanessa’s murder in Romily Court, Landridge Road on Saturday, March 28.

Gomez-Hernandez was remanded in custody and will next appear at the Old Bailey on Tuesday May 19.

Vanessa, who was 33, was was found dead in her flat in Fulham at 9.30pm on Saturday, March 28 by officers who had been called there to reports that a body had been found.

A post-mortem examination held at Fulham Mortuary gave the preliminary cause of death as injuries to the head and neck.

Vanessa had arrived in the UK from her home country of Mexico in January 2015 and it is believed she worked as an escort whilst in London.

Romily Court, off Landridge Road

Ms Santillan called herself "one in a million" on her website, writing about travelling around the world and going on high fashion shopping sprees. In a recent entry she said of her stay in London: " I’m a Ts girl visiting from MIAMI FL.

"I am looking to meet upscale, respectable gentlemen, of a certain calibre, who know how to treat a lady like me."

Any witnesses, or anyone with information that may assist police, should call the incident room on 020 8721 4868 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

To provide information via Galop, London's LGBT anti-violence & abuse charity, call 020 7704 2040.

May 17, 2015