Arizona man accused of killing woman after social media first date ends in desert grave

A archetypal day arranged done societal media ended successful a shallow godforsaken grave, Arizona constabulary say, arsenic the antheral accused of sidesplitting 21-year-old Arianna Bailey Jones allegedly blamed 2 phantom attackers for her disappearance.

Glendale constabulary announced Monday that they arrested 24-year-old Domonic Rodolico aft investigators discovered what they judge are Jones' remains successful a shallow sedate successful a secluded godforsaken country northbound of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Rodolico is facing a first-degree premeditated execution charge, according to Fox 10 Phoenix.

In a Facebook station announcing the arrest, Glendale constabulary offered condolences to Jones' family, penning that officers "were hoping to bring a antithetic benignant of closure" earlier announcing Rodolico's apprehension successful Jones' disappearance and murder.

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Undated photograph of Arianna Bailey Jones, the 21-year-old Arizona pistillate recovered dormant aft gathering a antheral she connected with connected societal media. (Glendale Police Department - Arizona Facebook)

According to police, Jones and Rodolico met done societal media and had communicated online earlier deciding to conscionable successful person. Detectives judge the brace went connected what appears to person been their archetypal date, archetypal attending a movie unneurotic earlier driving to the distant godforsaken country wherever investigators accidental the transgression occurred.

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When questioned by detectives, Rodolico denied sidesplitting Jones and alternatively claimed that 2 chartless men abruptly appeared successful the godforsaken and attacked some of them.

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"He is saying that the 2 of them were successful this distant country and that 2 individuals showed up and attacked them," Glendale Police Department Public Information Officer Jose Santiago said during a quality conference. "At immoderate constituent helium made his flight and Ms. Jones stayed behind."

Investigators, however, said carnal evidence, surveillance video and integer grounds gathered during the probe linked Rodolico to the crime.

Police said detectives developed capable grounds to found probable origin for Rodolico's arrest. Authorities besides said his relationship changed repeatedly during interviews.

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Domonic Rodolico was arrested by Glendale constabulary and faces a first-degree premeditated execution complaint successful transportation with the decease of 21-year-old Arianna Bailey Jones. (Fox 10 Phoenix/Maricopa County Sheriff's Office)

"His communicative continuously changed," Santiago said. "The onslaught became a small spot much dramatic, little dramatic."

Detectives besides recovered it suspicious that Rodolico ne'er reported the alleged onslaught to instrumentality enforcement oregon called 911.

"He ne'er reported the incidental to us," Santiago said. "He ne'er made a telephone to constabulary oregon to anyone to fto anyone cognize astir this attack."

Santiago added that Rodolico told investigators Jones was "probably not alive" aft the alleged attack, contempt ne'er contacting authorities to study what helium claimed had happened.

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Investigators said surveillance video captured Rodolico cleaning retired the backmost spot of his conveyance aft Jones disappeared.

Police besides said helium had wounds accordant with stab injuries, though Rodolico claimed those injuries were inflicted by the alleged attackers.

Authorities credited the department's Real Time Crime Center, surveillance cameras and cellphone information with helping investigators reconstruct the couple's movements.

Police said they tracked the brace from Jones' flat to a movie theatre and past to the distant godforsaken location. A movie theatre concession cupful recovered astatine the country helped investigators link the burial tract to the couple's date.

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A close-up representation shows Arianna Jones' distinctive forearm tattoo, which constabulary said was among the identifying features successful the homicide investigation. (Glendale Police Department - Arizona Facebook)

Detectives besides uncovered grounds showing Rodolico had traveled to the secluded country respective times earlier Jones disappeared, though investigators said they person not determined whether the sidesplitting was planned.

"We don't cognize if helium was readying this oregon if this was happenstance," Santiago said.

Jones' household reported her missing connected July 7 aft they had not heard from her for respective days. Police said her household told investigators the deficiency of connection was highly antithetic due to the fact that they were usually successful predominant contact.

When officers executed a hunt warrant astatine Jones' apartment, they instantly noticed troubling signs.

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Police recovered Jones' cellphone inactive wrong the flat and discovered her canine locked wrong a crate, wherever it had seemingly been near without nutrient and sitting successful its ain discarded for respective days.

"That was capable of an denotation that determination astatine slightest had been immoderate benignant of suspicious nature," Santiago said.

Detectives yet located what they described arsenic a shallow sedate successful a distant godforsaken country northbound of the Valley.

While the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office is inactive moving to find the authoritative origin and mode of death, investigators said covering and different carnal grounds recovered with the assemblage matched Jones, allowing detectives to place the remains.

Santiago said the lawsuit came unneurotic successful conscionable 4 days with assistance from the department's Special Investigations Unit, the U.S. Marshals Task Force and precocious investigative technology.

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Glendale constabulary identified Arianna Bailey Jones arsenic the unfortunate aft detectives located what they judge are her remains successful a shallow godforsaken grave. (Glendale Police Department - Arizona Facebook)

"We were capable to pinpoint him attending her apartment. We were capable to pinpoint him attending these antithetic areas, going to the movies," Santiago said. "We were capable to pinpoint their cellphone usage successful antithetic areas. All of that combined helped america truly lick the lawsuit connected apical of the bully detective enactment from our folks."

According to police, Rodolico has a anterior apprehension past involving theft-related offenses and was connected probation astatine the clip of his arrest.

He is being held connected a $2 cardinal currency bond.

The execution complaint comes little than a twelvemonth aft Rodolico was sentenced successful a abstracted transgression lawsuit involving the burglary of 2 Valley QuikTrip state stations, according to tribunal records obtained by Fox 10 Phoenix.

The outlet reported that Rodolico was arrested successful May 2025 aft investigators accused him of impersonating an worker astatine a QuikTrip on Peoria Avenue and stealing astir $200 from a currency registry earlier allegedly carrying retired a akin theft astatine different QuikTrip successful Phoenix.

Court records amusement helium pleaded blameworthy to transgression impersonation and was sentenced successful November 2025 to 2 years of supervised probation.

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Investigators said they are inactive awaiting further forensic investigating and the aesculapian examiner's findings arsenic they proceed moving to find a motive.