SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was arrested after leading police to his wife's body in Lampasas County, Chief William McManus said.
Enrique Perez, 25, was arrested on suspicion of murder in Blanco County Tuesday. He will be extradited to Bexar County Jail, McManus said.
Mary Lou Rodriguez, Perez's common-law wife, was reported missing by her sister Saturday. McManus said police quickly suspected Perez, who initially told officers Rodriguez fled to Austin.
Perez said he caught Rodriguez cheating on him and that she ran off to Austin to be with the man.
Rodriguez's sister told police the explanation didn't add up, because Rodriguez usually calls her after an argument with Perez and that Rodriguez wouldn't run away from home.
Police received consent to search Perez's car, according to a police report. They noticed broken fingernails on the ground that belonged to Rodriguez. They also noted the car smelled like cleaning products.
"Our detectives dug into this thing, they got a confession out of him," McManus said.
Perez eventually confessed to killing Rodriguez and led police to her body in Lampasas County, McManus said.
The couple have three children together. All three are safe, McManus said.
Police never received family violence reports on the couple before Rodriguez was reported missing, McManus said.
"It's very difficult for a victim to report (family violence) for a variety of reasons," McManus said. "You've got children in most cases, you've got pets, you've got work, you've got housing issues. All of this lumps up into one big ball of uncertainty."
McManus said he's working with advocates and other public officials to try and address family violence issues.