Maria Rodriguez murder: Man accused of killing woman arrested over 5 years later
HOUSTON - Authorities have announced that after being on the run for five years, the man accused of murdering and dismembering Maria Rodriguez with a chainsaw, is now in custody, officials said.
Police say members of the U.S. Marshals’ Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force arrested Erik Fardell Arceneaux, 51, outside a southeast Houston business on Thursday. He was booked into the Harris County Jail, and his bond was originally set at $250,000 but after reviewing the case his bond was revoked.
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According to what the suspect told police, the pair were a couple, but those close to Maria told FOX 26 that he was a gym trainer that developed an obsession and began stalking her, and that Maria was not interested in a romantic relationship.
Erik Fardell Arceneaux (Photo: Houston Police Department)
Maria, who was 29 years old at the time, last seen on June 21, 2018, after she left her daughter with the babysitter before heading to work. According to investigators, the victim's co-workers said they received unusual text messages from her saying she would arrive late to work. Co-workers told police that it didn't sound like the text messages were coming from the Maria.
Gloria Jimenez, Maria’s sister, found call logs from that morning and shared them with FOX 26 back in 2019.
"I found out that he had called her a million times, so I reached out to him," Gloria told FOX 26. "Supposedly, she was supposed to take him to an interview that day. Supposedly, she never made it to his house."
Her sister reported her missing after she didn't show up for work or show up to go pick her daughter up from the babysitter's home.
"She never said that she had a boyfriend. She would go to the gym. What I know is that he’s her trainer and, what I’ve learned is that, he kept like texting her and sending her notes," Gloria added.
Court documents indicate cell phone records show Arceneaux and Maria’s phones were together at his house on Evella Street the day she disappeared. Police also found a surveillance video showing of the suspect walking away from Maria’s truck after abandoning it in the 100 block of Port Street. Later that same day, Arceneaux was reportedly seen leaving a Home Depot with a chainsaw and trash bags.
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Investigators say the Arceneaux told police that he hadn't seen the victim that day, but cell phone data revealed that both of them were in the same location. Police tracked the suspect's whereabouts further and saw that he also went to a Home Depot in northwest Houston. Surveillance video and a signed receipt also confirmed this. According to police, cell phone data shows Arceneaux also had Jimenez-Rodriguez's phone on him.
Authorities searched the suspect's home in the 5000 block of Evella Street on October 18. Officers found drops of blood on the wall, however, they were unable to determine if it was the victim's.
If Arceneaux makes bond, conditions of his release include 24-hour house arrest and GPS monitoring.