Shraman Mitra
Maria Jimenez-Rodriguez disappeared off the face of the earth on June 21, 2018. She was last seen while dropping her daughter at the babysitter’s house. Following her disappearance, a massive police investigation ensued, and authorities finally found their way to Erik Arceneaux. Although he was suspected of Maria’s murder, the police could not arrest him as he soon went on the run. Investigation Discovery’s ‘In Pursuit with John Walsh: Terror in Texas’ follows the investigation and tries to profile the elusive accused.
Erik Arceneaux Has a History of Being Abusive
According to reports, Maria Jimenez-Rodriguez, a resident of Houston, Texas, was in a relationship with Erik Arceneaux at the time of her disappearance. Sources have since claimed that his daughter from a previous relationship once told police that her father was abusive and Maria was trying to get out of the relationship. She indicated that perhaps her fight against the alleged abuser was what led to the loss of her life. We should also mention that Erik had previously pleaded guilty in 2011 to aggravated assault for erratically driving around the city with his then-girlfriend while having a gun pointed at her head and threatening to kill her.
The police were made aware of Maria’s disappearance on June 21, 2018. She had been last seen while dropping her daughter off at the babysitter, and everything seemed normal at that moment. However, her co-workers began worrying when she did not turn up for her job the following day. The co-workers did receive several texts from Maria’s number in which she asked them to pick her daughter up from the babysitter and said that she thought she was being followed. However, the nature of the texts made it seem like they weren’t from her.
Although Erik mentioned that he last saw Maria on June 20, the police were able to place him with her using cell phone records. Moreover, CCTV footage showed Maria driving towards Erik’s house on the day of her disappearance, and the two also appear to be at the same place in different surveillance footage. Erik was also caught on a Home Depot’s surveillance camera, which showed him buying trash bags and a chainsaw.
Following a hunch, the police investigated Erik’s house, which revealed bloodstains. However, they were unsuitable for any DNA testing. Once their investigation reached a favorable conclusion, the police concluded that Erik had murdered his girlfriend and dismembered her body with the chainsaw. Erik was subsequently charged with the murder, but authorities failed to locate him anywhere. He’d suddenly vanished with no trace left behind.
Erik Arceneaux is in Custody, Awaiting Trial
With the hunt for Erik Arceneaux spanning across the nation with the help of The United States Marshals Service from the get-go, Maria’s loved ones never lost hope for justice. They were right to have stuck on this path as the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force managed to locate and arrest him from outside a local business in the 9500 block of Rowlett Road in Houston, Texas, on September 14, 2023.
Deputy Marshal Alfredo Perez had requested the public’s aid in their search, stating: “We know that people were there that knew about this. They’re not being cooperative with law enforcement. If we get a credible tip on where this guy is laying his head, he’s going to be asleep one night, and the door is going to come crashing in. A team of U.S. Marshals is going to arrest him.” So, there was an incentive of $5,000 for any information leading to Erik’s confirmed location as well as arrest, which was being offered by Crime Stoppers of Houston.
It all eventually panned out, and Erik was formally charged with Maria’s murder with suspicion of using a chainsaw to dismember and dispose of her body. Therefore, today, at the age of 51, this former fugitive remains detained at Harris County Jail in Houston, Texas, awaiting trial — it appears as if he is next due in court on June 12, 2024. We should mention that Erik’s bail was initially set at $250,000 before being revoked on the basis of his being considered a flight risk, but now it is at $1 million.
Read More: Maria Jimenez-Rodriguez: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her?
