“It’s That Mom Determination”: Former Detective Josephine Wentzel Came Out Of Retirement And Helped Capture Her Daughter’s Murderer
After six years, an extensive investigation into the murder of a single mother in San Diego has finally ended. And it is largely thanks to the victim’s mother, Josephine Wentzel.
Josephine is a retired police detective who, from an early age, felt a calling to public service. At just sixteen years old, she became a Candy Striper for Guam Naval Hospital after seeing soldiers ravaged by the Vietnam war.
And later, Josephine went on to rise through the ranks at the Guam Police Department– beginning in patrol, then legal, and finally achieving her goal of making detective.
Once she got married and had children, though, she decided to hang up her badge and focus on family. But, all of that changed after her daughter, Krystal, was murdered in 2016.
Krystal had lived in Arizona at the time with her then-boyfriend Raymond Samuel McLeod. And in June, the couple traveled to San Diego, California, to visit friends.
But, on June 10, Krystal was tragically found strangled to death in a bedroom. San Diego Police Department Homicide Unit detectives later determined that the scene indicated signs of struggle and that Krystal was last seen alive with Raymond.
The tragic murder sent shock waves through the community. She was a daughter, sister, and single mother to two young children.
And it was impossible for her mother, Josephine, to sit idly by as the man who murdered her daughter walked free. So, Josephine came out of retirement to assist in the search.
GoFundMe; pictured above is Krystal
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The San Diego District Attorney’s Office eventually charged Raymond with murder and put a warrant out for his arrest.
In the meantime, Josephine created a website detailing her mission, worked with local authorities, and pulled on her wealth of knowledge and investigative skills from her career to locate Raymond.
Josephine was even able to achieve her goal of landing him on the U.S. Marshals 15 Most Wanted list in 2021 with a record-breaking reward offering.
At that time, Raymond was the first ever fugitive to ever debut on the list with an initial reward of up to fifty thousand dollars. He was also believed to have fled to Central America or Mexico following the murder of Krystal.
“We want McLeod’s new status as a 15 Most Wanted fugitive and the $50,000 reward amount to be broadcasted far and wide. McLeod poses a significant threat to the public and must be brought to justice,” said Donald Washington, the U.S. Marshal Service Director.
And thankfully, through Josephine’s tireless work to get Raymond on the list and share her daughter’s story far and wide, Raymond was finally captured on Monday, August 29, in El Salvador.
Joseph O’Callagan, chief deputy of the U.S. Marshals Service, received the tip that broke the case wide open. The tipster claimed that someone resembling Raymond had been teaching English at a school located in Sonsonate.
After looking into the school’s records, investigators determined that Raymond had been teaching under the name of Jack Donovan and had spent up to the last three years in El Salvador.
Following the arrest, Raymond has since been ordered to remain in custody without bail and will be facing twenty-five years to life if convicted.
And now that the search for Raymond is finally over, authorities have applauded Josephine for being an “instrumental” force in his capture.
“The victim’s mother, Josephine Funes Wentzel, is a former police detective who has been instrumental in helping authorities search for McLeod. Wentzel has generated leads for law enforcement and helped spread the word about the international manhunt on social media,” said San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan.
Nonetheless, when asked about her drive to close this case, Josephine cited motherhood as her ultimate responsibility.
“It’s not about being a former detective. It’s about being a mom. It’s that mama bear. It’s that mom determination that I gave birth to this child and, so help me God, I’m going to take care of this child until I die,” she said in an interview with Good Morning America.
Now, the Wenztel family and the greater community will be eagerly awaiting Raymond’s trial. In the meantime, Josephine and her husband have been raising Krystal’s two children in their Vancouver, Washington, home.
Following the tragedy back in 2016, Krystal’s sister also created a GoFundMe campaign to help raise money for the children’s long-term care.
“She was a very good mother who loved her kids more than I ever could have imagined. Any help is greatly appreciated,” the campaign reads.
To contribute any donations or remain updated on Krystal’s case, you can visit the fundraiser link here.
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