Denton police have obtained an arrest warrant charging Richard Pastor Perez, the estranged husband of missing 42-year-old Marjulin Briceño Arrieta, with murder. Interim Police Chief Tony Salas said investigators now believe Arrieta is no longer alive, though her body has not been found, as authorities continue searching for both her and Perez.
Arrieta left her workplace in Denton at 5 p.m. on Sept. 28 to meet Perez at his apartment, according to the Denton Record-Chronicle. Her family reported her missing two days later, on Sept. 30, after they had not heard from her. The newspaper notes that Arrieta and Perez, 49, had been separated for about two months but remained legally married at the time she vanished.
Investigators believe Arrieta is dead, Salas said, a conclusion NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth reports he delivered even as the search for her remains unresolved. Her vehicle was found abandoned near Perez's Denton apartment, and investigators determined he had been driving a white 2013 Ford Escape with switched license plates.
The Trail to New Mexico
License plate reader technology tracked the Ford Escape through the Texas Panhandle toward New Mexico, the station's report states, where Albuquerque police later located the SUV. Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed a man matching Perez's description arriving alone at a hotel before abandoning the vehicle. Perez was last seen in that Albuquerque surveillance footage on Sept. 30, according to the same account.
Denton police, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies said they will continue searching for both Arrieta and Perez. No further updates on either of their locations have been released.
Three Children Leaning on a Community
Arrieta leaves behind three children, ages 21, 18 and 9. Community members have stepped in with food and financial assistance for the family, including donations that helped the children cover their rent after losing their mother's financial support, per the NBC 5 report.
Family, friends and community members gathered this week at North Lakes Park in Denton to pray for Arrieta's safe return. Denisse Carrera, who took part in the gathering, said the community should keep its focus on a missing mother and her three children. Arrieta's daughter said the outpouring of support has not replaced her mother's love and warmth.
A Broader Pattern of Risk
The case echoes a grim statewide pattern documented by Denton County advocates. Four Denton County residents were killed by intimate partners in 2023 out of 205 such deaths recorded statewide that year, according to the Denton Record-Chronicle, citing the Texas Council on Family Violence. Advocates quoted in that report identify stalking, prior strangulation and firearm possession as the strongest indicators of domestic-violence homicide risk.
Arrieta's family has asked anyone with information about her disappearance to contact Denton police. Denton County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to Perez's arrest.
