Arizona Man Arrested on Murder Charge After Glendale Woman Vanishes Following First Meeting With Social Media Contact

GLENDALE, AZ — A 24-year-old Arizona man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after investigators found human remains in a remote desert area near Lake Pleasant and linked the case to a missing 21-year-old mother from Glendale. Police say the woman disappeared after meeting someone she had first contacted on social media.

Authorities identified the suspect as Dominic Scot-Glen Rodolico. The missing woman, Arianna Bailey Jones, was reported missing earlier this month after her family said they had not heard from her since July 5.

How the investigation unfolded

Investigators said the case began on July 7 when a relative contacted police and asked for help finding Jones. Officers checked her apartment and found her dog locked in a kennel without food or water, apparently alone for several days.

A friend told detectives Jones had planned to meet an acquaintance for a movie on July 5. By reviewing cellphone data and surveillance video, police say they identified Rodolico as the person Jones was with that day.

Search in the desert

Glendale police said Jones and Rodolico had met online and were seeing each other in person for the first time when she disappeared. Investigators have not confirmed whether the pair actually intended to go to a movie.

On Saturday, cadaver dogs led searchers to human remains buried in a shallow grave in the desert. Police believe the remains are Jones’, but formal identification has not yet been completed and the cause of death remains unknown.

Suspect's account questioned

Court records say Rodolico was taken into custody while cleaning the back of his car and had a hand injury at the time of the arrest. He is being held on a $2 million bond.

During questioning, Rodolico allegedly told detectives that two unknown men attacked him and Jones and stabbed her, allowing him to get away. Detectives, however, say they believe he planned to kill her.

Family keeps searching for answers

Jones’ mother, Sophia Sardinas, spent a week handing out flyers and searching for her daughter after the disappearance. She said she wants the public to remember Jones for who she was, not only for the circumstances surrounding the case.

A GoFundMe has been created by the family as the investigation continues and officials work to confirm the identity of the remains.

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