What did Erik Fardell Arceneaux do? Suspect arrested in 2018 disappearance of Houston mother

On Friday, September 15, the Houston Police Department confirmed that 51-year-old Erik Fardell Arceneaux had been arrested in connection to the disappearance and murder of Maria Jimenez-Rodriguez. The victim went missing in 2018, and her body is yet to be found.

After being booked into the Harris County Jail, Erik Fardell Arceneaux was charged with the murder of the then 29-year-old mother. Authorities have claimed that the suspect and the victim's phones appeared to be in the same location on the day Maria disappeared.

Apart from the murder, Arceneaux has also been accused of allegedly dismembering the victim's body with a chainsaw. A bond was initially set in his case, however, it was later revoked.

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Erik Fardell Arceneaux reportedly killed and dismembered Maria Jimenez-Rodriguez's body in 2018

Authorities arrested a suspect in connection to the 2018 disappearance of Maria Jimenez-Rodriguez. The suspect was identified as 51-year-old Erik Fardell Arceneaux and he was arrested on Friday outside a business in Houston. A bond of $250,000 was set in his name, however, it was later revoked.

The case can be traced back to June 21, 2018, when the 29-year-old woman was reported missing. Maria allegedly disappeared after she dropped her daughter off at her babysitter's house in the 6900 block of Texarkana Street in northeast Houston.

Authorities said that Maria failed to come in to work the next day. She, however, sent multiple messages to a co-worker stating that the babysitter wanted her to pick up her child. She also allegedly sent another text, in which she mentioned that she felt she was being followed, as per Law&Crime.

Samuel Milledge, the family's spokesman, who was also Maria's boss at the time, said:

"There was a text message reported to be from her, but it didn’t seem like her. And again, in doing further investigation, we checked with the babysitter. The babysitter said she never called and told Maria to come pick her daughter up."

Maria Jimenez-Rodriguez’s family (Image via Twitter)

Authorities mentioned that just a day after the victim was reported missing, her vehicle was found about three miles away from the babysitter's house. However, Maria was nowhere to be seen. Officers also did not find her cell phone or purse. As per FOX 26, Erik Fardell Arceneaux was the victim's gym trainer and would reportedly stalk her.

While the family claimed that Maria and Erik were not in a romantic relationship, police mentioned that he was her boyfriend. Law enforcement officials said that they had obtained evidence that implied that Arceneaux had killed his girlfriend, dismembered the body using a chainsaw, and then disposed of her remains.

Erik Fardell Arceneaux's daughter from a previous relationship revealed that he would often beat up her mother, who is now dead. She further added that to her knowledge, the victim was trying to end her relationship with Erik. Arceneaux told cops that he hadn't been in contact with the victim since June 2018. Police, however, discovered security footage that captured the victim's car driving in the direction of Arceneaux's house on the day she went missing.

Authorities also revealed that they found the duo's phones in the same place. According to court records, the phones stayed in the same location for the entire day on June 21, 2018. At about 5 pm local time, officials learned with the help of the phones' location that they were near the area where Maria's car was found abandoned.

This was when police recovered the footage that captured Maria's vehicle. They further saw Arceneaux walking away from the car.

Arceneaux has been charged with murder. (Image via Mycah Hatfield/Twitter)

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Erik Fardell Arceneaux was allegedly seen buying a chainsaw and trash bags from Home Depot

The victim's phone was initially turned off, and when it was switched on, authorities learned that it was at Home Depot. Records stated that the suspect's phone was also found to be at the exact same location, and he was captured on the store's surveillance camera as well. He was seen buying a chainsaw and contractor trash bags from the store, as per ABC 13.

According to court records, a text was sent from Maria's phone to her co-worker, in which she said that someone was following her. This text was reportedly sent near Home Depot. Police believe that Erik Fardell Arceneaux is responsible for the victim's death and that he tried to establish an alibi by sending messages from Maria's phone.

Officers from the U.S. Marshals' Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force located the suspect in Houston on Friday and took him into custody. They found him in the 9500 block of Rowlett Road near the Gulf Freeway.

As per the Houston Chronicle, the victim's family expressed relief after the arrest and Maria's sister Gloria Jimenez said:

"That’s the best news I could ever hear. No bond, that means he’s going to sit there and think about what he did."

Authorities arrested the suspect from Houston. (Image via @AprilAg08308727/Twitter)

Gloria further said that although there were rumors that Erik Fardell Arceneaux had passed away, she knew that he was in Houston.