Missing Salem woman found dead in vacant lot, partner arrested
SALEM Ore. (KPTV) - A man in Salem was arrested after his domestic partner, who had been reported missing, was found dead in a vacant lot with a gunshot wound to the head.
On Jan. 3, Salem police discovered the body of 43-year-old Priscilla Joann Aldana in a vacant lot in the 3000 block of Lancaster Drive Southeast. The Oregon Medical Examiner ruled her death to be homicide.
SEE ALSO:
Near the lot, structure had been burned.
Aldana was reported missing on Dec. 23. During the investigation of her disappearance, detectives were led to 44-year-old Erik Mauricio Meza as a suspect.
Meza and Aldana were in a “domestic relationship,” Salem police said.
On Thursday night, police arrested Meza on charges of murder, abuse of a corpse and arson.
Copyright 2025 KPTV-KPDX. All rights reserved.
