HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (TCD) — Police have arrested an Arizona man after officials found a missing woman dead in California.
On the morning of Monday, Nov. 6, the Holbrook Police Department said 54-year-old Christi Romero’s family reported her missing from Arizona. Police said her vehicle, a 1995 Plymouth Neon, was also nowhere to be found.
Police said the “circumstances surrounding Christi’s disappearance are suspicious in nature.”
Officers determined that 34-year-old Richard Rodriguez allegedly “forced his way into Christi’s residence and forced her to leave.” They also believe he had her 9 mm pistol in his possession. In an effort to find Romero, police posted photos of her, Rodriguez, and the stolen vehicle.
Later that day, at around 5:15 p.m., the Huntington Beach Police Department responded to a home on the 17000 block of Friml Lane in reference to a “family disturbance.” Patrol officers secured the location and discovered a dead adult female at the scene.
According to KTLA-TV, police found the victim, Romero, in the trunk of a parked sedan near the home.
Police arrested Rodriguez on suspicion of Romero’s murder.
Romero had reportedly filed a protective order against Rodriguez several days before her body was found.
The investigation is ongoing.