A man suspected of killing his girlfriend and chopping her up with a chainsaw before disposing of her body parts in trashbags five years ago has finally been arrested.
Erik Arceneaux was arrested and booked into Harris County jail on Thursday for the alleged killing of Maria Jimenez-Rodriguez, a Houston woman whose body was never recovered. He is currently being held on a $250,000 bond, according to Click2Houston.
At a court hearing, prosecutors presented evidence that included surveillance footage from a Home Depot that reportedly showed Arceneaux buying a chainsaw. Additionally, blood had been found on the walls and ceiling of his bedroom by crime scene technicians.
Jimenez-Rodriguez’s disappearance was initially reported by her sister, who became concerned when Maria failed to show up to work and neglected to pick up her daughter from the babysitter, WFAA reported.
During the initial investigation, Arceneaux, who was 47 at the time of the alleged incident, claimed to authorities that he was supposed to pick up Maria from a job interview on June 21, 2018, but she did not show up. He alleged that he had last seen her on June 20, 2018.
Further inquiries included interviews with Arceneaux’s daughter, who reported receiving multiple unusual phone calls from her father on June 22, 2018. She stated that her father seemed frightened and admitted to having possibly harmed Jimenez-Rodriguez. Additionally, she mentioned prior concerns that her father had been physically abusive towards Maria and that her family disapproved of their relationship.
On July 23, 2018, a month following Jimenez-Rodriguez’s last known appearance, investigators obtained search warrants for the phone records of both Arceneaux and Jimenez-Rodriguez. The records indicated that their phones were together near Arceneaux’s residence on June 21 and remained in close proximity for an extended period.
Houston has been struggling with violent crime for years now, as has Dallas, where there have been 176 murders committed this year as of September 14, marking a 7% increase over the same period last year, according to a report by the Dallas Police Department.
DPD has been short-staffed in recent years, operating with a force of under 3,200 officers. A City analysis advises that a city the size of Dallas needs about three officers for every 1,000 residents, putting an ideal staffing level at roughly 4,000 officers.
The shortage has been especially felt in Downtown Dallas, which regularly records higher crime rates than nearby Fort Worth’s downtown area. A dedicated police unit patrols the latter alongside private security officers.
