A 22-year-old man, Arturo Flores, has been arrested in connection with the murder of 16-year-old Venus Rodriguez. According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Flores and Rodriguez were dating, and he is believed to have shot her multiple times before wrapping her in a blanket and dumping her body in a creek in Oak Cliff, Dallas, as per a report by the Dallas Morning News on January 24, 2022.
Flores’ attorney, Bill Cox III, stated that Flores is presumed innocent and looks forward to his day in court. Police were called to the 1700 block of Brookhaven Drive on January 16th, where they found Rodriguez’s body wrapped in a blanket with a distinct blue and white pattern. The blanket was traced back to Flores’ house, which was only 354 feet away from the creek where the body was found.
Flores’ mother told police that the couple had a history of frequent fighting, and a neighbor reported seeing Flores chase Rodriguez down a street and physically assault her in a driveway in the weeks before her death. Flores appeared indifferent and showed no emotion when interviewed by the police, and he said that he knew only that she had been missing and not that she had been killed.
The investigation is ongoing, and police are still processing several pieces of evidence, including two phones and DNA swabs from Flores’ room, as well as two handguns found in his brother’s car. Flores is currently in custody with bail set at $500,000. A GoFundMe account has been set up to help Rodriguez’s family cover funeral expenses, based on a report by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on January 21, 2023.