Police: Murder suspect drove victim's body from Royse City to Houston
ROYSE CITY, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) — A man was arrested in North Texas after he allegedly murdered a mother of three at a hotel in Royse City and drove her body to Houston, police said Thursday.
The Royse City Police Department said it served an arrest warrant for murder on Reynaldo Chavez, of Houston. He is accused of murdering Sandra Denise Martinez, 47, a mother of three from Quinlan, at the American Inn Motel at 300 E. IH-30 in Royse City.
The investigation began back on April 29, 2022 after a missing person report was filed with the Greenville Police Department. Greenville detectives determined that Martinez had last been seen at the motel.
Police obtained video surveillance from the motel that showed Martinez entering the motel with Chavez on the evening of May 2, 2022. The next morning, Chavez was seen on video exiting the room carrying what appeared to be an unconscious woman wrapped in a blanket. He then placed the body in the passenger seat of a car. The video footage prompted a Royse City Police Department and Texas Rangers joint investigation into Martinez's disappearance.
On June 25, 2022, over a month later, Chavez was arrested on unrelated charges by Rockwall police. He was then investigated by Royse City police officers and the Texas Rangers at the Rockwall County Detention Center.
During the interview, Chavez admitted to physically assaulting Martinez at the motel on May 2 and said she died later that night. He said he then drove about 265 miles to Houston with Martinez's body and placed her body in a wooded area.
Royse City police contacted the Houston Police Department, who confirmed they had recovered a body from that area on May 9, but that the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office was unable to identify the remains.
The Royse City Police Department provided Martinez's recent medical records to the Medical Examiner's Office and they were then able to positively her body.
Chavez is being held on $1 million bond at the Rockwall County Detention Center. He has been charged with Murder as well as Possession of a Controlled Substance, Unlawfully Carrying of a Weapon, and Theft of a Firearm.
The investigation into Martinez's death is ongoing, and anyone with information regarding the circumstances of her disappearance and/or death is asked to contact Detective Andrew Mason with the Royse City Police Department at 972-636-9422.