Maria Rodriguez family reacts after her suspected killer was arrested in Houston

HOUSTON - The family of Maria Rodriguez, the woman who was killed in 2018, is speaking to FOX 26 after her suspected killer was caught. 

Erik Arceneaux was charged with murder in this case and has been on the run for five years. 

Maria Rodriguez's family says they're glad Arceneaux is in jail, but upset that he was given a bond of $250,000 that was later denied.

Now they hope they can finally figure out where she could be. 

"It’s been five years of torture, tears, of where could she be," Gloria Jimenez, Rodriguez's sister said.

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Jimenez says her family can find some relief in knowing the suspected killer of her sister, Maria Rodriguez, is caught and in jail. 

U.S. Marshals apprehended 51-year-old Arceneaux in Houston on Thursday after being on the run from a murder charge for five years. He faced magistrate Cheryl Diggs in pc court, who granted him a $250k bond.

It was later denied by a district court judge, Kelly Johnson.

"But what if this case didn’t have as much public interest? This individual could've come up with $25,000. That’s what a Nissan Altima is worth," said community advocate April Aguirre.

Rodriguez, who was 29-years-old at the time, was last seen on June 21, 2018, after she left her daughter with the babysitter before heading to work. 

The family says Arceneaux was her trainer at a local gym and became obsessed with stalking her. He told police years ago they were a couple, but the family denies that. 

Police say Arceneaux was reportedly seen around that time leaving a Home Depot with a chainsaw and trash bags. The family believes he was hiding the whole time here in Houston.

"There were rumors he was deceased, but I never believed that. I knew he was out there. My heart said that he was out there," Jimenez says.

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Jimenez is hoping there will finally be answers on where Maria’s body may be. They want to send a message to the court system asking them to fight harder for justice for grieving families. 

"Being low-income shouldn’t give you a discount ticket to continue to commit crimes that harm our community," said Aguirre. "We have seen this time and time again. It’s time for our magistrates and our judges to take community safety as a priority."

The district attorney's office says they were in the middle of filing a motion to get Arceneaux's bond denied when they were notified the district judge got it done. 

As for Maria's daughter, she's now 8-years-old and just wants her mother home.