On December 20, 2023, a house fire in Quartz Hill, a suburb of Los Angeles near Lancaster, California, led firefighters to a shocking discovery. Inside a car in a garage on 38th Street West, they found the body of Veronica Aguilar, 27, an elementary school teacher from Palmdale, California. The car had been engulfed in flames.
The incident prompted the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to launch an arson and homicide investigation. Subsequently, 37-year-old Matthew Switalski was arrested on charges of murder in connection with Aguilar’s death.
Records show that the house where Aguilar was found is registered to Switalski, who previously worked at the aerospace firm Northrop Grumman. Switalski, reportedly romantically involved with Aguilar, was not present at the rented property during the incident. Neighbors heard a woman screaming and an explosion sometime before the fire.
Earlier in the spring, Switalski was arrested on various sexual assault charges involving a romantic partner. He was released in June on a $600,000 bail following a court hearing.
Aguilar’s uncle, describing her as a kind and reserved person, became concerned when she unexpectedly missed work, leading her school to reach out to her family. He noted that she had been in a relationship for a year, but details about her partner were not well-known.
Switalski is currently held on a $2 million bail.
Juan Aguilar, the brother of the deceased, has established a GoFundMe campaign to cover funeral costs.