Crime & Safety

Gruesome Panama Discovery May Be Remains of Dana Point Woman

No one has heard from Yvonne Baldelli since November 2011. Her former Marine boyfriend was arrested earlier this year on charges related to her disappearance.

The body of a Dana Point woman who went missing in Panama in Nov. 2011 may have been recovered Tuesday afternoon.

A Panamanian found a skull and bones inside what one detective described as a "green military backpack" on the Isla Carenero in Panama, according to panama-guide.com. A full skeleton has not been found.
Investigators said the small bones were found with a woman's clothing and are likely the remains of a woman.

"We are proceeding under the assumption it could very well be the remains of Yvonne Baldelli, which will of course have to be proven through comprehensive scientific and forensic testing," reporter Don Winner quoted an investigator as saying.

Yvonne Baldelli was last seen Nov. 26 on Carenero Island after moving to Panama with her boyfriend, retired marine Brian Brimager, according to the Orange County Register.

Brimager was arrested in June and has been indicted on federal charges of obstructing justice in connection with Baldelli's disappearance. Federal prosecutors allege Brimager had physically abused Baldelli while planning a return to California with another woman he later married.

Prosecutors allege the boyfriend searched for "washing mattress blood stain" a day after Baldelli went missing and later threw his hostel mattress in the ocean, telling the hostel manager his dog urinated on it.

Brimager is also accused of taking money from her bank account that day and filling about 10 trash bags with Baldelli's belongings, including clothing, jewelry and cosmetics.


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