Tatum Goodwin case: Man arrested for murder after 27-year-old woman found dead in Laguna Beach alley

By | November 16, 2023

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. (KABC) — A man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of murder in the death of a 27-year-old woman in Laguna Beach, police said.

Dino Rojas-Moreno, 26, was arrested in Laguna Hills after Tatum Goodwin’s body was found by a construction worker Sunday morning near the 200 block of Ocean Avenue, according to the Laguna Beach Police Department .


Friends said Goodwin’s body was found in an alley in a construction zone behind Carmelita’s Restaurant, where she worked. They said Goodwin went out for drinks after her shift ended Saturday evening.

RELATED: Woman, 27, found dead in alley near OC restaurant where she worked

Woman, 27, found dead in alley near OC restaurant where she worked

Police said the arrest occurred after detectives gathered enough information and evidence to identify a suspect.

“Detectives determined that this was an isolated incident and that there was no further threat to the community,” police said in a news release.

Rojas-Moreno’s bail was set at $1 million. Police from Newport Beach and Anaheim assisted in the arrest.

It is unclear if the suspect knew the victim.

Earlier Wednesday, dozens of people gathered along the San Clemente Pier in the rain to mourn the loss of Goodwin in his hometown.

Loved ones held each other close as they shared their memories of her.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect her, that I didn’t deserve this,” Goodwin’s sister, Kaylee Goodwin Pitino, said, fighting back tears.

“She was fighting for her life alone,” added Stacy Goodwin Pitino, the victim’s mother.

Friends at the vigil raised flowers into the air and then threw them into the ocean to honor Goodwin’s memory.

A GoFundMe set up by the restaurant has already raised more than $24,000 to help his family.

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