Man who went on date with missing Glendale woman before her death charged with homicide

A man faces homicide charges in the death of a 21-year-old Glendale woman who went missing after a date with him and was later found dead in a secluded desert area north of the Valley.

Dominic Rodolico, 24, was arrested on Sunday afternoon in connection with the death of Arianna Jones, police said.

He is accused of first-degree murder, according to court documents. He is being held on a $2 million cash bond.

Details about the death of Arianna Jones

Police believe Jones was killed July 5 after going to a movie with Rodolico. The relationship between Jones and Rodolico remains under investigation, but according to court documents, they exchanged a few brief phone calls before meeting in person.

The investigation started July 7, after the victim’s mother went to her daughter’s Glendale residence after not hearing from her.

On July 11, cadaver dogs led investigators to a body in a shallow grave that police believe is Jones.

During a Monday news conference, Glendale Police Communications Administrator Jose Santiago told reporters that investigators are waiting on results from the medical examiner, but there was enough evidence to identify the body as Jones, including a drink cup from the movie theater.

“We’re not quite sure where the motive lies in all of this, if this was a crime of passion or if this was a situation that just escalated out of control,” Santiago said. “What we are focusing on here is that we are really devastated for this family. I mean, this was a family that was hopeful that they were going to find their loved one in a good state, and unfortunately, this was not the case.”

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