Woman jailed on suspicion of murdering her mother

Friday, Oct. 4—

A Serra Mesa woman was behind bars today for allegedly killing her 79-year-old mother and ditching her body in a remote field near Ramona.

Ghazal “Gazelle” Ybarra Mansury, 42, was booked Thursday night on suspicion of first-degree murder in connection with the death of Afghanistan native Mehria Mansury, who shared her Amulet Street home with the suspect.

“Early on, information from family indicated that they suspected foul play,” San Diego police Lt. Jorge Duran told reporters this morning during a briefing at downtown SDPD headquarters.

When the victim went missing last week, relatives immediately asked detectives to look into the possible involvement of her daughter, who has a criminal history related to thefts, Duran said.

“We considered her a person of interest from the onset,” he said.

Police disclosed no suspected motive for the alleged murder, and the cause of the victim’s death remained under investigation, the lieutenant said.

On Wednesday afternoon, a sheriff’s search-and-rescue team found Mehria Mansury’s body lying face-down underneath a tree in an open area on the grounds of Barona Indian Reservation, bearing signs of animal activity, the lieutenant said. Hours later, police took her daughter into custody for questioning.

She was later released, then arrested Thursday afternoon.

She was being held without bail at Las Colinas women’s jail in Santee pending arraignment, scheduled for Monday afternoon.

The condition of Mehria Mansury’s body made it impossible to identify her on sight, necessitating fingerprint comparisons, Duran said.

The victim’s family members reported the victim missing Sept. 25, saying they had not been able to contact her for several days.

—City News Service