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The 2009 mysterious disappearance of Pamela Butler was a case that led authorities from one cold case to another. Pamela's boyfriend, Jose Rodriguez-Cruz, who confessed to her murder, was linked to the decades-old disappearance of his wife, Marta Rodriguez-Cruz.
Marta disappeared from Arlington, Virginia, in 1989, shortly before she was scheduled to testify against her husband in connection with an assault and kidnapping case. Her remains, which were unearthed two years later, were successfully identified decades later in 2018.
By the time of the discovery, Jose had already committed Pamela's murder and confessed to it, but her remains were never found. At the conclusion of the case, Jose pleaded guilty in connection with two murders and was given two separate prison sentences.
Pamela Butler's murder is the subject of the latest NBC Dateline episode, which aired this Friday, July 21, 2023. A synopsis for the episode titled A Haunting Stretch of Road says:
"While investigating the disappearance of Pamela Butler in Washington D.C., detectives discover a puzzling connection to a Virginia woman who vanished two decades earlier. Dennis Murphy reports."
Pamela Butler's murder: Five key details about the cold case that led to an even colder case
1) Pamela went missing ahead of Valentine's Day in 2009
According to reports, Pamela Butler was dating Jose Rodriguez-Cruz for a couple of months when Valentine's Day arrived in 2009. The couple met on an online dating website. She reportedly informed her mother of her romantic dinner plans with Jose on February 12. But after failing to hear from her afterward, her family grew concerned.
Pamela's family arrived at her Washington, D.C., house and found it in complete disorder, which wasn't like her. She was known for her organizational skills and was soon reported missing. Surveillance footage from security cameras outside her house captured her collecting mail sometime around 9.48 pm on February 13. That was the last time she was seen.
2) Surveillance footage also captured Jose Rodriguez-Cruz leaving and entering the house
The last person Pamela Butler was seen with was Jose. He was seen entering and leaving her house a couple of times, even after Pamela's last appearance. According to The Cinemaholic, the surveillance footage even captured him entering the house with a bucket and what looked like cleaning supplies. However, no progress was made due to a lack of evidence against him.
3) Pamela Butler's case gained momentum again in early 2017
By July 2009, 47-year-old Pamela was officially declared dead, and her case went cold until February 2017, when a witness came forward with key information on her boyfriend, Jose Rodriguez-Cruz. The person offered information about his violent behavior in the past, including a 2004 incident when he s*xually assaulted a woman at gunpoint and even threatened to r*ped her three-year-old daughter.
The Cinemaolic report mentioned that the witness claimed to have seen Jose hold a gun against a woman he used to be married to. The witness also mentioned the 1989 disappearance of his wife, Marta Rodriguez-Cruz, from Arlington, Virginia. This case was similar to that of Pamela.
4) Jose Rodriguez-Cruz confessed to Pamela's murder and pleaded guilty
Jose was arrested in April 2017 based on circumstantial evidence. He eventually confessed to Pamela Butler's murder. He claimed that the two got into an argument on February 13, 2009, concerning his unemployment, when he punched and choked her until she died. In October 2017, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was given a 12-year prison term after agreeing to lead detectives to Pamela's remains.
5) The remains of Pamela Butler were never found
Pamela's remains were never found in a median on Interstate 95, where Jose claimed he buried her. The area had already been dug up for construction. Detectives did learn about remains unearthed along Interstate 95 in Stafford County in 1991.
These remains were linked to his wife, Marta Rodriguez-Cruz, in 2018. Two years later, Jose pleaded guilty to another second-degree murder charge in Marta's murder and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
NBC Dateline further delves into the case in its latest episode.
