Arizona Man Faces Murder Charge After Missing Glendale Mother’s Remains Are Found in Desert Near Lake Pleasant

GLENDALE, AZ — A 24-year-old Arizona man is facing a murder charge after investigators found human remains in a remote desert area near Lake Pleasant while searching for a missing 21-year-old mother from Glendale. Police say the woman, Arianna Bailey Jones, vanished after meeting a man she connected with online for the first time.

Authorities arrested Dominic Scot-Glen Rodolico on Saturday. Jones had been reported missing by her family earlier in the month after she was last heard from on July 5.

How the search began

Police said the investigation started July 7 when a relative contacted them after not hearing from Jones for two days. When officers checked her apartment, they found her dog locked in a kennel without food or water, suggesting she had been gone for several days.

A friend told investigators Jones had planned to meet an acquaintance for a movie on July 5. Detectives later used cellphone records and surveillance video to identify Rodolico as the person she was with that day.

What police say happened

Glendale police said the two had met on social media and were seeing each other in person for the first time when Jones disappeared. Investigators said it is still not clear whether the movie plan was ever real.

On Saturday, cadaver dogs led officers to a shallow grave in the desert, where human remains were found. Police believe the remains are Jones’, but formal identification has not been completed and the cause of death is still unknown.

Suspect’s account disputed

Court records say Rodolico was arrested while cleaning the back of his car and had a hand injury at the time. During questioning, he allegedly told detectives that two unknown men attacked him and Jones, stabbed her and let him get away.

Detectives said they believe Rodolico planned to kill Jones. He is being held on $2 million bond.

Family continues grieving

Jones’ mother, Sophia Sardinas, spent a week handing out flyers and looking for her daughter after she disappeared. Sardinas said she wants the public to remember Jones for who she was, not only for how her case ended.

A GoFundMe has been set up by Jones’ family as the investigation continues.

TNSO covers California, Nevada, and Arizona as the story unfolds.