Salton Sea Remains Identified as 17-Year-Old T’Neya Tovar; Man Charged with Murder

T’neya “TT” Tovar, 17, the daughter of Charro Tovar, has been positively identified through DNA as the source of partial human remains recovered Dec. 21 in the Vista Del Mar area of Salton City, and 51‑year‑old Abraham Feinbloom was arrested and charged with first‑degree murder with a firearm enhancement. Imperial County Sheriff’s investigators recovered a decomposed leg in a field near Portsmouth Avenue and Newhaven Court on Dec. 21 and later found bullet fragments in the remains; court statements indicate investigators believe a gunshot wound was the cause of death.

T’neya was last seen in Thermal on Dec. 1, 2025, according to the FBI and family reports; her mother filed a missing‑person report that day saying T’neya had traveled to Palm Springs and stopped answering her phone. Charro told reporters T’neya had previously been reported missing from a group home in Hemet in June and that the family had remained in close contact by phone until the calls stopped. Investigators worked for weeks to develop a DNA profile after the December recovery and requested a DNA sample from Charro; rapid testing produced a positive female match in early February, with public confirmation posted Feb. 11–12.

Deputies executed two search warrants in February and arrested Feinbloom after he attempted to run from deputies; reporting places warrants on Feb. 6 and Feb. 13 and the arrest and arraignment around Feb. 13. Authorities say Feinbloom was detained at a Harlequin Court residence in Salton City, described by neighbors and family as a boarded‑up pink house, and that the recovered leg was found less than a mile from that home. Court records show Feinbloom was arraigned in Imperial County Superior Court and pleaded not guilty to one count of first‑degree murder with a firearm enhancement.

Prosecutors and local reporting indicate Feinbloom and T’neya had been in contact since October 2025 and that someone brought T’neya to the Harlequin Court address. When detained, Feinbloom reportedly had a passport and Thai currency in his possession, and court reporting references prior incidents in his history, including felony kidnapping charges dismissed in 2019 and a 2016 arrest on suspicion of lewd acts involving a child.

Charro said investigators told her the DNA matched her daughter one day before law enforcement publicly announced the identification, and she posted on Facebook Feb. 11 that the Imperial County Coroner confirmed the leg belonged to T’neya. “I have to thank people for sharing my daughter's story,” she said. “I appreciate it so much.” Charro and father Josh Carter told reporters they later learned T’neya had planned to meet Feinbloom.

The FBI Los Angeles Field Office has joined the public appeal for information, publishing a missing person poster that lists T’neya’s date of birth as Oct. 6, 2008, and physical descriptors including brown hair, brown eyes, height 5'6", and a tattoo saying “Charro” on her left hand. The FBI posted reward and tip instructions: “If you have any information concerning this case, please contact the FBI at 1‑800‑CALL‑FBI (1‑800‑225‑5324). You may also contact your local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or you can submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.” The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the resolution of this case.

Investigators continue to develop the case; county officials have not released a final medical examiner’s cause of death, while court filings and arraignment statements cite bullet fragments recovered from the leg and the belief that a gunshot wound was fatal. Feinbloom remains charged in Imperial County as investigators pursue evidence tied to the December recovery and the February warrants.