Roswell police have officially closed the investigation into the Christmas Eve 2024 murder of 47-year-old Blanca Sauer after confirming that the man they identified as her killer died by suicide in Mexico. Sauer's body was discovered shot and left in a ditch near Azalea Drive and Atlanta Street, not far from the Chattahoochee River, on December 24, 2024. Police had named her boyfriend, 49-year-old Roberto Dominguez Soto, as the suspect in her killing.
According to FOX 5 Atlanta, passersby found Sauer's body in the ditch near Azalea Drive and Atlanta Street on Dec. 24, 2024. Detectives later received information in mid-2025 indicating that Dominguez Soto had died by suicide in Mexico, according to the same report, and they moved to verify that account before closing the case out.
Confirming the Suspect Acted Alone
Before shutting the investigation down, authorities coordinated with federal and international partners to confirm that Dominguez Soto acted alone in Sauer's killing, the station reports. Police have not released details regarding the specific motive behind the shooting, according to the outlet's reporting.
Dominguez Soto was not just a person of interest in Georgia. He was also wanted by Interpol on charges related to firearms possession, per the same report. Separately, as reported by WSB-TV, Roswell police had issued a murder warrant for Dominguez Soto while he remained on the run, describing him as wanted by Interpol on a firearms charge out of Mexico and warning that he should be considered armed and dangerous.
A Community Left Grieving
Roswell police have said the community should know the final outcome of the case, and that their thoughts remain with Sauer's family and loved ones as they grieve and heal, according to Atlanta News First. The case had drawn attention well beyond metro Atlanta during the search for Dominguez Soto, spanning months before detectives finally learned of his fate overseas.
In the aftermath of Sauer's death, her family launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover funeral expenses. Fox 5 Atlanta reports the fund raised more than $10,000, while an earlier account from Rough Draft Atlanta noted the campaign had reached $6,465 toward its $10,000 goal just two days after it was set up. Police have not released additional details on how or where Dominguez Soto died in Mexico, closing the case nearly two years after Sauer was found.
