Editor's note: The videos within this article are from previous reports.After Maria's death, Garcia-Rodriguez went missing. He was later identified as a person of interest in the case and found in Louisiana. He was arrested in Shreveport on Aug. 19 and
Carmelo Gonzalez said he told her not to open the door. She said she wouldn't and that she would stay in her bed. After that, Carmelo Gonzalez never heard from Maria again. Brugger said that at about 1 p.m., Carmelo Gonzalez contacted family members who stayed in the same apartment complex and asked them to check on Maria. Maria's aunt and uncle both went to look for her but said they couldn't find her inside the apartment.
A medical examiner confirmed that Maria's cause of death was asphyxiation due to strangulation. It was also determined that Maria was sexually assaulted.According to court records, a single key led investigators to Garcia-Rodriguez.