SAN ANTONIO – A 53-year-old man was arrested Wednesday in connection with the 1999 disappearance and death of his wife.
Roy Hernandez, 53, was arrested without incident and is charged with murder, San Antonio police said.
Dedra Salinas, 26, was reported missing in December 1999.
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Salinas' skeletal remains were found in February 2006 underneath a concrete slab in the backyard of the couple's home at 235 Cantrell, police officials said.
Police said a tip led them to her remains. Salinas was 26 at the time of her disappearance and Hernandez was 35.
"These are people who at one point loved each other, but domestic violence, it's very concerning to a lot of individuals," Sgt. Michelle Ramos with the department’s homicide unit said.
Although the victim's injuries and cause of death could not be determined, Salinas' death was ruled a homicide due to the suspicious nature in which her body was concealed and disposed of, police officials said.
Phyllis Lamothe has lives in one of the two duplexes on the property in the 200 block of Cantrell, where Salinas’ remains were unearthed, but she hadn’t been in the backyard until last week with her boyfriend.
“That’s when he talked to me about it,” she said. “I was like, ‘No way, but, wow.'”
Lamothe pointed to a depression in the ground now covered by weeds where it’s believed Salinas was buried.
She said she had chills just thinking about it. “That’s good that they arrested him,” she said.
Hernandez made several inconsistent statements about the whereabouts of his wife over the years, police officials said.
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A Bexar County grand jury returned an indictment Tuesday against Hernandez.
Police officials didn't release a motive in the case but said domestic violence may be involved.