The search for a missing woman in Arizona ends in Huntington Beach, where her body is found in the trunk of her stolen car. Police responding to a family disturbance call made the disturbing discovery.
Shelby Nelson is live in Huntington Beach with more information on the missing woman and a man arrested on suspicion of murder. Sharon Micah, authorities are still investigating the cause and timing of the woman’s death, but they have confirmed that the suspect is in custody. Disturbing new details have emerged after a woman’s body was discovered in the trunk of her own car, a red Plymouth Neon, in Huntington Beach. Police responded to a family disturbance call at a home on Elaine Street on Monday evening, where they found the victim’s body.
They arrested Richard Paul Rodriguez, a 34-year-old Arizona man, and charged him with murder. It is reported that Rodriguez had driven from Holbrook, Arizona to a home in Huntington Beach, where his adoptive parents live.
The neighborhood is described as tight-knit and shocked by the incident. The victim has been identified as Christy Lynn Romero Rodriguez, a 54-year-old woman who had been in a relationship with Rodriguez for three years before she was reported missing.
Surveillance footage released by the police shows Rodriguez stopping at a Chevron gas station in Arizona on his way to California. The footage shows him struggling to locate the gas cap, eventually filling his tires with air before leaving.
Back in Arizona, the couple had a rocky relationship, with police being called to their residence multiple times for domestic violence incidents. On November 2nd, Rodriguez was served with an order of protection and had to move out.
The police were alerted to the missing woman and her car when her son called to report her disappearance. Based on bank transactions, it was believed that she might be in danger.
As the investigation progressed, location data from Rodriguez’s phone showed him traveling towards California. He eventually arrived at his adoptive parents’ home, where they called 911. The adoptive parents stated that the victim’s parents had contacted them, claiming she had been abducted.
They also mentioned that Rodriguez has been dealing with mental health issues since childhood..
