MMA Fighter Angelo Henry and Deziree Auelua-Misa Found Dead Inside a Car at San Jose State University
A quiet afternoon at San Jose State University turned into a heartbreaking discovery after two people were found dead inside a parked car in a campus garage, leaving behind grieving families, unanswered questions, and a community struggling to understand what happened.
The victims were later identified as Angelo Henry, a 36-year-old mixed martial arts fighter and fight promoter, and Deziree Auelua-Misa, a 30-year-old hotel food and beverage manager. Both were from Seaside in Monterey County, and both were parents whose lives reached far beyond the place where they were found.
Their bodies were discovered on May 23, 2026, inside a vehicle parked in the university’s West Garage, near South Fourth and East San Salvador streets in San Jose. What first appeared to be two people sleeping in a car slowly became something far more serious when they remained motionless for several hours.
Campus police were called to the scene in the afternoon. Officers and firefighters attempted lifesaving measures, but Henry and Auelua-Misa were pronounced dead at the garage.
A Tragic Discovery in a Campus Parking Garage

The details released so far paint a painful picture.
The vehicle had reportedly been noticed earlier in the day, but the two people inside were believed to be asleep. As time passed and neither person appeared to move, concern grew. Authorities were eventually alerted, and the response quickly shifted from a welfare check to a death investigation.
For students, staff, and visitors, the West Garage is a familiar part of campus life. It is the kind of place people pass through without thinking, a normal setting for ordinary routines. That normalcy made the discovery even more unsettling.
Police have not released a cause of death for either Henry or Auelua-Misa. Officials also said early in the investigation that they were not looking for suspects, but many questions remain unanswered.
That silence has left families and community members waiting for clarity as they try to process the loss.
Who Was Angelo Henry?
Angelo Henry was known in the combat sports world as both a mixed martial arts fighter and a fight promoter. In that world, reputation is built through discipline, toughness, and the ability to keep standing when life gets difficult.
Those who follow local fight scenes know that fighters often carry more than their records. They carry families, responsibilities, gym friendships, and dreams that stretch beyond the cage. Henry was part of that community, and his death has added shock to a circle that understands pain but not a loss like this.
At 36, Henry was still young, still connected to people who knew him as more than an athlete. He was also a parent, which makes the tragedy even heavier. Behind every headline about a fighter is a private life, and behind this one is a family now facing a painful absence.
Who Was Deziree Auelua-Misa?
Deziree Auelua-Misa was also from Seaside, and she worked as a food and beverage manager at a hotel. She was described by loved ones as a devoted mother, daughter, sister, and friend.
Her death has left her family grieving while also thinking about the future of her children. A fundraiser was created to help with memorial costs and support for her children, showing how quickly a community can be forced to move from shock into survival.
Auelua-Misa’s story is especially painful because she was not just a name in a police report. She was a mother with people depending on her, a worker with responsibilities, and a loved one whose life had meaning long before it became attached to a tragic headline.
A Community Left With Questions
The deaths of Henry and Auelua-Misa have created a wave of confusion because the known facts remain limited. Authorities have confirmed where, when, and who they were. What has not been made public is what caused both deaths.
That missing answer is the center of the story.
Until investigators release more information, speculation would be unfair to the families and dangerous to the truth. What is known is already heartbreaking enough. Two people were found dead in a car. They were both from the same city in Monterey County. They both had children. They both had lives that reached into different corners of California.
In moments like this, the public often wants fast answers. Families need careful answers. Those are not always the same thing.
San Jose State Says They Were Not Affiliated With the University
Authorities said Henry and Auelua-Misa were not students or employees of San Jose State University. That detail has raised more questions about why they were parked in the campus garage, though no official explanation has been released.
The university’s involvement appears to be tied to the location of the discovery, not to any known relationship between the victims and the school.
Still, the incident has left a shadow over the campus, especially because it happened in a public parking structure during the day. For many people, the most disturbing part is how ordinary the setting was. A parked car. A garage. A passing assumption that two people were sleeping.
Then the truth became devastating.
Waiting for Answers
For now, the case remains defined by grief and uncertainty.
Angelo Henry and Deziree Auelua-Misa were not just two people found in a car. They were parents. They were members of families. They were connected to communities that now have to continue without them.
Henry leaves behind the memory of a fighter whose life was tied to strength, competition, and the local combat sports scene. Auelua-Misa leaves behind the memory of a mother, and her loved ones are now rallying around her children.
The official cause of death has not been released, and until it is, the story remains incomplete. But the loss is already clear.
Two lives ended in a place where no one expected tragedy. Two families are grieving. And a community is waiting for answers that may finally explain what happened inside that car at San Jose State University.
