The death of 25-year-old Mykaella Sharlman, whose family reported her missing the same day her burned remains were found on an Antioch trail last week, remains under investigation. But two men are in custody and have been charged in connection with her death — though not with her actual murder.
As Bay Area News Group tells us, 32-year-old Ashton Montalvo and 41-year-old D’Angelo Boone, have been charged, so far, with arson and mutilating a corpse. The district attorney's office has declined to file murder charges as of now, but that may change.
Sharlman was just publicly identified on Monday, a week after police in Antioch had released details about the case and about the burnt remains that were found in order to try to identify the body. Sharlman had been reported missing on October 17, later in the day when the remains were found — and family members reported having heard from her in the early morning hours before her death.
A neighbor in the area of the paved Mokelumne Trail north of Lopez Drive in Antioch called the fire department on the morning of October 17 to report a small fire on the trail. Upon arriving, firefighters found body on fire — and called in police and arson investigators. Two suspects had been seen fleeing the scene.
Sharlman's sister, Nicole Eason, told KRON4 that Sharlman's body had been found stuffed in a trash can and then set on fire.
"To take her body and put it in a garbage can and then burn her, is one of the most heinous crimes that you can ever commit," Eason said.
Sharlman was the youngest of seven kids and lived with family in Antioch, where she was a "live-in babysitter," Eason said, to nieces and nephews. She was attending Los Medanos college at the time of her death, and she was hoping to become a hair and makeup stylist.
Bay Area News Group reports, via Contra Costa County court records, that Montalvo is "being held in lieu of $1.2 million bail," while "Boone is being held without bail."
It's not clear if either man will now have a chance to make bail, pending murder charges being filed.
Anyone with information about the case, or about the suspects,may call the Antioch Police Department's non-emergency line at 925-778-2441, or Det. Bill Whitaker at 925-779-6890 — or you can e-mail him at [email protected], or text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the key word ANTIOCH.