Arizona Man Arrested on Murder Charge After Lake Pleasant Desert Remains Found in Search for Missing 21-Year-Old Mother

GLENDALE, AZ — A 24-year-old Arizona man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after human remains were found in a remote desert area near Lake Pleasant during the search for a missing 21-year-old mother. Police say Arianna Bailey Jones disappeared after meeting someone she knew from social media for the first time.

Investigators say Jones was last heard from on July 5, and her family reported her missing after not being able to reach her for days. The case escalated after officers found her dog locked in a kennel at her apartment without food or water.

How investigators identified him

Glendale police say cell phone data and surveillance video pointed them to Dominic Scot-Glen Rodolico as the last person seen with Jones. A friend told investigators Jones had planned to meet an acquaintance for a movie, though police have not said whether that outing actually happened.

Authorities say the two had connected on social media and were meeting face to face for the first time on the day she vanished. Rodolico was arrested Saturday after investigators say they linked him to the disappearance.

Remains found in desert

Cadaver dogs later located human remains in a shallow grave in the desert. Police believe the remains are Jones’, but official identification has not yet been confirmed, and investigators have not determined a cause of death.

The discovery came after days of searching in the Lake Pleasant area, a remote stretch north of the Phoenix metro where authorities focused much of their efforts.

Suspect held on bond

Court documents say Rodolico was taken into custody while cleaning the back of his car and had a hand injury at the time of the arrest. During questioning, detectives say he claimed the pair were attacked by two unknown men who stabbed Jones and let him get away.

Investigators say they do not believe that account and instead think Rodolico planned to kill Jones. He is being held on a $2 million bond.

Family searches for answers

Jones’ mother, Sophia Sardinas, spent a week handing out flyers and looking for her daughter before the remains were found. She said she wants people to remember Jones as a young mother, not only for the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.

The family has also set up a GoFundMe as they wait for confirmation and answers in the case.

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