EP. 262 - TEXAS: A SISTER’S LOVE: THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MARIA JIMENEZ-RODRIGUEZ

Murder In America

This episode details the tragic disappearance and murder of Maria Jimenez-Rodriguez in Houston, Texas, on June 21, 2018. Her sister Gloria Jimenez led a

Key takeaways

• Maria's coworker Brenda Lopez noticed her unusual texts and recognized they were not sent by Maria herself
• Gloria Jimenez refused to leave the Houston Police Department until a missing persons report was filed, leading to the discovery of Maria's abandoned truck

Main topics

• Missing persons investigation & family advocacy
• Digital forensics & cell phone GPS tracking

Notable quotes

"time stopped for me on June 21st, 2018"

Conclusion

The episode underscores how relentless family advocacy and modern digita

Transcript preview

Speaker 8 (0:00) Warning, the following podcast is not suitable for all audiences. We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects. Speaker 2 (0:11) Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children. This Speaker 8 (0:18) podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned. Speaker 2 (0:22) Today's story brings us to Houston, Texas in June of 2018. 29-year-old Maria Jimenez Rodriguez was a responsible woman. She always showed up to work, and she always put her three-year-old daughter before anything else. But that summer, out of nowhere, Maria vanished. Her family immediately knew something was wrong, and her sister Gloria would stop at nothing. to get answers about her disappearance. Gloria's fight for justice eventually led to a murder conviction. But to this day, there's still one question that hasn't been answered. Where are Maria's remains? So, this is Maria's story. I'm Courtney Browen. And Speaker 1 (1:03) I'm Colin Browen. And Speaker 2 (1:04) you're listening to Murder in America. Speaker 8 (2:06) It started with a text. On Monday, June 21, Speaker 1 (2:09) 2018, Brenda Lopez, a paralegal at Millage Law Group in Houston, Texas, heard her phone go off. When she picked it up, she already had a feeling she knew who it was from. Her coworker and close friend, Maria Jimenez Rodriguez. Every day when Brenda showed up to work, Maria was already there, getting ahead of schedule and organizing her things for the day. But that morning, Maria hadn't arrived. Instead, She sent Brenda and her boss, Samuel Millage, the same simple text at 8.57 a.m., three minutes before the scheduled start of her shift. Speaker 2 (2:43) Good morning. I'm running late. Stuck in traffic. Speaker 1 (2:47) In the office, there was a strict policy that if you were going to be late, you were to report it to your supervisor at least 30 minutes before the start of your shift. In the six years Maria and Brenda had been working together, Maria had never broken that rule. She was always at least 15 to 20 minutes early. already happily working and chatting away when her start time rolled around. If Maria had been running late, she would have known that and texted well before 8.57. Usually, she dropped her daughter, Destiny, off at the babysitter's around 8am and then made the 20-30 minute drive to the office. Which is why, immediately after getting that text, Brenda got a sinking feeling. At first, she wondered if maybe Destiny had gotten sick or something had fallen through with the babysitter. The only reason she could think of Maria missing work without warning was taking care of her daughter. Destiny was just three years old, and she was Maria's whole world. Brenda told Unsolved Mysteries, She was an excellent mom. One of her biggest dreams was to get pregnant, and when she finally got pregnant and Destiny was born, she was a fully dedicated mom. She loved Destiny. She went on to describe Maria as hardworking, reliable, and a devoted mother who always put Destiny first. And that came with challenges. Destiny suffered from a genetic disorder that affected her muscles and depleted her energy quickly. It required frequent doctor's appointments and patients and care at home. But Maria never complained. She worked extremely hard to provide a good and stable life for her little family. At just 23, she had become a paralegal and was actually in the process of studying for the bar to become a full-fledged lawyer, all while raising Destiny on her own. She and her husband, Jose Rodriguez, had separated sometime in 2017, leaving Maria to navigate single parenthood. But she took to it well. Not only did she continue pursuing her education and work to give Destiny all the fun and love a child could possibly desire, but she helped take care of her parents and siblings as well. She frequently took her elderly father to doctor's appointments, serving as an advocate for him, as well as a translator. She was close with her sister, then went out of her way to catch up with her every single day. Gloria told news outlets that Maria always had a smile on her face, It's one reason why she loved the gym so much and excelled there. Even when things got tough, she had a way of smiling, laughing, and pushing through. Maria was someone you wanted in your corner. A woman who seemed to be able to do it all. Speaker 2 (5:08) Which is why, as the morning of June 21st dragged on, and Maria still didn't call or text, her boss and coworkers began to feel that something was very, very wrong. Beside Maria's empty desk, her close friend Brenda found it hard to focus on work. She obsessively checked her phone for updates from Maria, and she called her several times, but each time she was met with no answer. Then finally at 10, 12 a.m., Brenda got a response, but it didn't make her feel any better. The text read, Hey. I had to turn back around. The nanny asked me to take Destiny because she's not acting right. Speaker 1 (5:46) When Maria and Brenda texted, they almost exclusively spoke in Spanglish, a mixture of Spanish and English. The fact that Maria wasn't texting like that set off alarm bells. Her boss, Samuel, told Click2Houston there was a text message reported to be from her, but it didn't seem like her. Immediately, Brenda texted her back, asking if she was okay and if Destiny was okay. And at 12.19, over two hours after the last text, a response came from Maria's phone. Speaker 2 (6:13) Everything is fine. I shall be in as soon as I can. Speaker 1 (6:16) At that point, Brenda was nearly in a panic. Maria wasn't just a co-worker, she was her close friend, someone she loved and cared for. And absolutely none of this seemed like her. Brenda was convinced that either Destiny was in the hospital, or Maria had gotten into some kind of accident. Brenda called over and over, from both her cell phone and the office phone, desperate to hear Maria's voice, but again, Maria didn't answer. Brenda told Unsolved Mysteries, I kept calling her, I kept calling her, no response. And that was not Maria. Maria would either call you back or pick up the phone or something. After several co-workers and supervisors stopped by Brenda's desk, expressing their concern, Brenda shot her a text in Spanish, telling her that everyone was worried about her. When no response came, Brenda called again, and this time the call went straight to voicemail. Maria's phone had been turned off. For the next few hours, nobody heard anything from Maria. The workday at her employer, Millage Law Group, came to an end. It wasn't until 6.18 p.m., six hours after the last contact, that Maria texted Brenda again. The text read, Speaker 2 (7:20) Sorry, I'm okay, and Des is fine, but there's a red truck with two white boys, or Hispanics, that seems like they've been following me. Call you from a safe place. Speaker 1 (7:31) Looking at that text, Brenda instantly felt sick to her stomach. The fact that Maria claimed to be followed by someone was obviously concerning. But there was something even more concerning for Brenda. The use of the nickname, Des. Not once had she ever heard Maria call her daughter that name. In fact, Maria seemed to make it a point to always call her by her full name, Destiny. It was at that moment, reading that text, that Brenda was certain she wasn't talking to Maria at all. She wondered if she should call the police, but she was torn. While she knew Maria and knew this wasn't normal, Speaker 8 (8:04) she also knew that she didn't have any actual evidence pointing to the alternative. That is, until a few hours later. Speaker 2 (8:11) Across town, Maria's sister, Gloria, arrived home from her job shortly after 6 p.m. Then she fell into the familiar rush of getting her kids fed. showered, and in their pajamas. But there was something off as she went about her routine. Every single day after work, she and Maria would FaceTime, call, or text to catch up on their day. It was something they had done for years. Growing up, the two weren't just sisters, but best friends. And that friendship had only strengthened as they grew older and leaned on one another for support. So at 6.30pm, Gloria texted her sister saying, Hey sis. How are you doing? But she got no response. Gloria continued along her routine, assuming that Maria must be busy with chores or childcare. Then at 9 p.m., her phone rang. When she answered, she had no idea that her entire life was about to change. She later said, quote, time stopped for me on June 21st, 2018, end quote. And that started with what her brother said as soon as she answered his call. Have Speaker 8 (9:17) you heard from Maria? Speaker 8 (9:19) What's wrong? She didn't pick up Destiny from the babysitters. Speaker 2 (9:23) Not only had Maria not shown up for work, but she had dropped her daughter off at the babysitter at 8am and never went back to get her. Maria didn't call, she didn't text. Essentially, she had just abandoned her daughter. But everyone who knew Maria knew, without a shadow of doubt, that she would never leave her daughter behind. She would move heaven and earth to be there for her. Which meant... Everyone who truly knew who Maria was, was thinking the absolute worst. Her sister Gloria began to panic. She pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at her last text to her sister, the one she had sent at 6.30pm. And that's when she came to a horrifying realization. The text had never been delivered to Maria's phone, which meant her phone was either off or too far away from a tower to have service. Gloria later told Unsolved Mysteries, quote, I was worried that she was hurt or at the hospital, end quote. Maria's brother, who lived just down the street, said that he had actually saw Maria leave her house that morning, but after that, no one had seen her. The anxiety of not knowing where Maria was was killing Georgia and her brother. So Gloria did what the Jimenez family does best. She took action. Immediately after receiving that call from her and Maria's brother, Gloria called Maria's coworker, Brenda, to see if she had seen or heard from her. The worry that had been building all day inside Brenda from the moment she got the text that Maria was running late, boiled over. She told Gloria everything, that Maria hadn't shown up for work, and that all day long, she had been getting these bizarre messages from her. The tone felt completely off, short, strange, and unlike the responsible, attentive friend and colleague everyone knew. So once more, Gloria leapt into action. Speaker 1 (11:12) Gloria stopped by the babysitter's home to pick up Destiny, her little niece. She wanted to make sure that it was true. Part of her hope that, just maybe, Maria had picked up Destiny while the rest of them were playing telephone. But when she pulled up to the babysitter's, Destiny was waiting there, the last child, the only one left behind. Seeing it broke Gloria's heart, and she knew that Maria would have never let it happen. She would never let her baby down. never leave her confused and alone waiting for her mom. So, Gloria took Destiny in her car, assured her things were going to be okay, and raced down the street to Maria's home. But when she pulled up, she was met by a dark, empty house. Maria's car was gone. There wasn't a single light on. Gloria helped herself in the home using a key and raced from room to room, calling out for her sister and fearing that she may find the worst. But room after room in her cozy home was empty. Maria wasn't there. Wherever she was, Gloria assumed it would be with her vehicle. Knowing her sister's vehicle was connected to OnStar GPS monitoring, she called the company, begging for the location of her sister's car. But OnStar had their hands tied. They told Gloria they could only disclose the address if Gloria filed a missing persons report and showed them proof of that report. Finally, it was time to speak to the police. Though, right away, Gloria knew that was easier said than done. Speaker 2 (12:33) Gloria arrived at the Houston Police Department around 9.30 p.m., just 30 minutes after she received the heartbreaking call from her brother. She was wasting absolutely no time, and yet Houston PD didn't seem particularly concerned. At first, they told her she had to wait 48 hours to file a missing persons report. But as we've said a million times, and as Gloria knew, that's a lie. You do not have to wait any length of time. legally to file a missing persons report. So, Gloria pushed. She reiterated all the reasons she knew her sister was in danger. She hadn't shown up to work. She'd been sending strange texts, and she hadn't picked up her daughter. When officers proposed a runaway situation, Gloria doubled down. She snapped, telling police that she wasn't leaving. until she spoke with a superior officer. When she was threatened with being thrown in jail for refusing to leave, she still didn't back down, demanding that police do their jobs and help her find her sister. Think about the bravery that took. Gloria had a life of her own, children of her own. She was risking going to jail for obstruction or disorderly conduct, and still, she refused to move. Her love of her sister overrode her fear for her own life circumstances. And it paid off. When the officer behind the desk finally relented and pulled in a supervisor, the supervisor immediately agreed that the behavior was unusual and that a missing person's report wouldn't hurt. Finally, Gloria had what she needed. At least, the next piece of the complicated puzzle she was putting together. Speaker 1 (14:13) Gloria raced home to submit the report to OnStar and call them again to get the location of her sister's vehicle. The wait was agonizing. and it had only been about an hour since she learned something was wrong. When she called OnStar, nothing could have prepared her for where her sister's vehicle was. The worker on the other end gave her an address, stating that the vehicle was on the side of an industrial road, and when Gloria heard the address, her heart stopped. Her sister's car was just three blocks away. Gloria didn't bother finding her own keys. She didn't bother hopping in her car. Instead, she ran on foot through the dark streets. desperate and hopeful that her search for her sister may come to an end. When she finally reached the car, out of breath, that hope started to fade. The car was parked oddly on the edge of the street, near a large industrial yard. She peered inside, moving from window to window, praying that her sister was on the other side, okay somehow. The driver's seat and passenger's seat were empty. In the back seat, the only thing she could see was her sister's gym bag. Her purse, her keys, her cell phone, they had vanished without a trace alongside her. None of it made sense. Maria had no reason to park three blocks away from her house, and certainly not on the side of the road like this. Gloria had a sinking feeling that someone else had parked the car there, and if they had, she'd seen enough crime shows to know one thing for certain, there had to be fingerprints. Immediately, she called the Houston Police Department to let them know that she had found the vehicle and urged them to hurry to swab it for fingerprints. They said they'd be there soon, but she didn't want to risk the evidence being contaminated. So, she waited. For hours, she stood there in the dark, worried sick but unrelenting. She wasn't going to budge until she saw the police swab the car with their own eyes. Finally, at around 5 a.m., police arrived to take fingerprints. And by 6, they released Maria's truck to Gloria and sent her on her way. Speaker 2 (16:05) Gloria hadn't slept in well over 24 hours. She was exhausted, but she wasn't going to be able to stop anytime soon. Desperate for clues, she went to her sister's home again to more thoroughly look for evidence. As the sun began to break over the Bayou City, Gloria paged through pieces of her sister's life, trapped in time. Inside Maria's home, everything was the same as it always was. It looked like it had been a normal morning. Breakfast bowls in the sink, dirty clothes in a basket, ready to go in the wash. There was no sign anything violent had taken place, but Gloria knew there had to be a clue somewhere, and she was right. As she searched her sister's bedroom, she noticed something stuffed behind her dresser, something pressed up against the wall. She reached behind and pulled out a bouquet of flowers. Attached was a note. Now, the entirety of the note hasn't been disclosed, but Gloria told Unsolved Mysteries that it stated her sister Maria was the most beautiful person. and that the author wanted more than a friendship with her. The final sentence of the note read, quote, your beauty is just one of the millions of things that made me so deeply love you. And then at the bottom, it was signed, love, Eric. Gloria couldn't believe what she was looking at. She had never heard her sister mention a man named Eric. And if Eric was an important person in Maria's life, she definitely would have known about it. Maria and Gloria talked about everything. Friends, crushes, boyfriends, co-workers. So why hadn't Maria ever talked about a man named Eric before? Speaker 1 (17:42) Gloria didn't have much time to think on it. Soon after searching her sister's home, she received a call from the Houston Police Department. They wanted to let her know that they were officially launching the search for Maria. A description of Maria was sent out to various law enforcement agencies and the community of Houston. It read, 5'3", 115 pounds, medium-length dark brown hair. brown eyes, and distinctive moles on her face. Her last known whereabouts were during the morning hours of June 21st on the 6900 block of Texarkana Street. She was last seen wearing a dressy t-shirt, pastel pants, brown ballet flats, a pink Apple Watch, and carrying a tan purse, either Michael Kors or Coach brand. Dozens of volunteers, police officers, and members of the community searched extensively for Maria in the area where her car had been abandoned and in nearby waterways. By this point, Police had a timeline laid out. They believed that around 8 a.m., the morning of June 21st, Maria drove her three-year-old daughter to the babysitter's house and returned home to retrieve her purse and gym bag. Based on her brother's claim that he saw her leave and head in the direction of work, police believe that, at some point on her drive between her house and her job, something happened, and someone out there knew what. Speaker 2 (18:56) Maria's family was determined to figure out who that someone was, but it wasn't easy. As far as they knew, Maria had no enemies. When police suggested Maria soon to be ex-husband Jose, everyone in her family denied that he could have anything to do with her disappearance. Gloria told police that though their relationship hadn't worked, Jose made it clear that he loved Maria and he was devoted to maintaining a peaceful relationship with her. Not just for the sake of destiny, but because he truly cared about Maria as a person. But of course, when someone goes missing in the midst of a divorce, their ex is always the first person police look