Arizona murder suspect posted meme joking about body in car trunk months before arrest
Richard Paul Rodriguez, 34, was arrested in California on Nov. 7 after the body of a Holbrook, Arizona, woman was discovered in the trunk of the car he was driving, according to authorities.
The discovery came a day after the Holbrook Police Department responded to reports of a missing woman, according to a police news release. The woman, identified as 54-year-old Christi Lynn Romero, was not located at her home and neither was her vehicle.
Suspect's Facebook post joked about having a body in the car trunk
A Facebook account that appears to belong to Rodriguez posted a meme on Sept. 7 captioned, "So you don't like my driving. How do you think the person in the trunk feels."
The suspect's Facebook post was highlighted in the Arizona subreddit.
Huntington Beach police Sgt. Anthony Pham confirmed that the department was aware of the post.
Victim reported missing before body discovered in California
Police began searching for Romero's estranged boyfriend, Rodriguez, who had been served an order of protection and was removed from the residence on Nov. 2, according to Holbrook police officials. He was to stay at the local mission, but personnel there told police that he had not been seen there in several days.
Authorities issued a nationwide Attempt to Locate for Rodriguez, Romero and her vehicle. Phone location data showed the vehicle was traveling toward California on Interstate 10, according to police. The Attempt to Locate was updated with special attention to California, including the residence of Rodriguez's parents in Huntington Beach.
Rodriguez arrived at his parents' house on the evening of Nov. 6 when the police were called. The Huntington Beach Police Department's news release said officers located the body of a woman in the trunk of the car who had passed away "under suspicious circumstances."
The Orange County Coroner's Office confirmed that the body was Romero's, according to Holbrook police. Rodriguez was in custody in California as of Nov. 7.
Romero's family started a GoFundMe in an effort to transport her body back to Arizona.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Eerie Facebook post made by Arizona man accused of girlfriend's murder
