ANTIOCH, Calif. (KRON) — Two men were charged with mutilation and arson in connection to the slaying of a young Antioch woman whose body was burned beyond recognition.

Contra Costa County prosecutors identified two men on Wednesday who were arrested after 25-year-old Mykaella Sharlman’s body was found burning along the Mokelumne walking trail.

Ashton Montalvo, 32, and Deangelo Laraye Boone, 39, were charged with felony arson and mutilation.

Antioch Police Department detectives are investigating Sharlman’s death as a homicide. So far, however, no suspects have been charged with homicide.

The victim’s family reported her missing to Antioch police on October 16. Around 5 a.m. the following morning, local residents spotted a fire and called 911. Investigators suspect that Sharlman’s body was set on fire after she had been slain.

Mykaella Sharlman
Mykaella “Kayla” Sharlman (Image via Facebook / Mykaella Sharlman)

“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,” the victim’s sister, Nicole Eason, told KRON4. 

Montalvo’s prior criminal history includes a residential burglary conviction. His bail was set at $1.5 million. Montalvo and Boone will be arraigned in court on Thursday afternoon.

Sharlman was an Oakland native and the youngest of seven siblings. She often looked after her nieces and nephews. “She cared for them as if they were her own. She was our live-in babysitter,” Eason said.

Her life was violently cut short before Sharlman could have a child of her own. Her sister said, “My mother and my father will never get the opportunity to walk her down the aisle, or her call and say she’s pregnant.”

necklace
Mykaella Sharlman also went by the name “Kayla.” She was wearing this necklace when she was found. (APD image)

Sharlman was known to her friends as “Kayla.” She was wearing a necklace with a letter “K” pendant on the day she was killed. Investigators used her jewelry, as well as dental records, to identify her.

Mykaella Sharlman (Photo courtesy the Sharlman family)
Mykaella Sharlman always helped out with taking care of her nieces and nephews, her family said. (Photo courtesy the Sharlman family)

The homicide investigation is still active and ongoing. Anyone with additional information related to this incident is asked to contact Detective Whitaker at wwhitaker@antiochca.gov or 925-779-6890. You may also text-a-tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword “ANTIOCH.” All text tips are anonymous and cannot be traced to the sender.