What happened to Marta Haydee Rodriguez-Cruz? Details explored ahead of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered on Oxygen 

Season 14 episode 14 of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered on Oxygen will replay the death of Pamela Butler and Marta Haydee Rodriguez-Cruz.

Marta Haydee Rodriguez-Cruz was killed by her husband Jose Angel Rodriguez-Cruz in 1989. Her body was discovered alongside Interstate 95 in Stafford County in 1991. However, her remains were only discovered in 2018, during the search for Pamela Butler, who was also murdered by Jose Angel Rodriguez-Cruz.

Jose Angel Rodriguez-Cruz pleaded guilty in November 2018. He was charged with second-degree murder, and sentenced to 40 years in prison, as per Oxygen True Crime.

The Dateline episode that will focus on this case is titled A Haunting Stretch of Road. It will air on Oxygen on February 12 at 8 pm ET. The logline for the case reads:

“Detectives discover a puzzling connection between two women who disappeared two decades apart”.

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Marta Haydee Rodriguez-Cruz disappeared in May 1989

Marta Haydee Rodriguez Cruz disappeared in May 1989 [Image via Unsplash/Marek Piwnicki]

Marta Haydee Rodriguez Cruz was 28 years old when she disappeared from a bus stop in Arlington, Virginia. Before she disappeared, she filed a complaint against her husband Jose Rodriguez-Cruz for assault and kidnapping.

According to Wtop News, Jose Angel Rodriguez-Cruz was arrested, in March 1989, as authorities saw him dragging his wife down a street. After his arrest authorities discovered duct tape and ropes in his vehicle.

According to a co-worker at St Elizabeth’s Hospital, Marta was scared that her husband would harm her.

Rodriguez-Cruz failed to appear and testify against Jose in court due to which his charges were dropped. Seven days later Marta Haydee disappeared.

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Marta Haydee Rodriguez-Cruz's name was allegedly removed from the missing person database

According to Wtop News, a driver’s license was made in Miami, by a lady who used Marta Haydee Rodriguez-Cruz's name, which brought light to the missing persons database. After authorities phoned the lady, she allegedly identified herself as Marta and claimed that she was alive and okay.

Authorities without matching images of her to the missing Haydee Rodriguez, removed her name from the database.

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Marta Haydee Rodriguez-Cruz's case reopened after 30 years of her disappearance

Jose Angel Rodriguez-Cruz is currently incarcerated in Rappahannock Regional Jail in Virginia. [Image courtesy: Unsplash/Matthew Ansley]

In 2017, Jose Angel Rodriguez-Cruz pleaded guilty to the murder of his girlfriend Pamela Butler, who disappeared on February 12, 2009. She was last seen on block 5800 of 4th Street in Washington, D.C.

Butler’s family suspected Jose as Pamela had tried to break up with him before she disappeared. According to his plea agreement, Jose agreed to disclose where he had buried her body. Investigators were led to the median of I-95 in Stafford County, where the k9 dogs alerted them to the presence of human remains. However, investigators were unable to find Pamela Butler’s remains.

The Virginia state police informed the investigators that a body had been found in 1991. Soon through DNA testing the remains were identified and linked to Marta Haydee Rodriguez-Cruz.

According to Wtop News, Jose Angel Rodriguez-Cruz was charged with second-degree murder for killing his wife Marta Haydee Rodriguez-Cruz. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison, while already serving 12 years for the murder of Pamela Butler. He is currently incarcerated in Rappahannock Regional Jail in Virginia.

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To know more about this case, watch season 14 episode 14 of Dateline: Secrets Uncovered on Oxygen. The episode airs on February 12 at 8 pm ET.