Texas Woman Reported Missing Found Dead 10 Days Later; Suspect Arrested on Murder Charges, Police Confirm

A Texas woman who disappeared for 10 days was found dead and police announced a man has been arrested in connection with her killing.

On May 11, Madeline Pantoja, 20, was reported missing by her family, according to the Midland Police Department.

Pantoja was last seen around 11 p.m. the prior evening after she spent the night out with her friends in Midland, authorities said. Her friends and family were unable to reach her the following day.

Police launched an investigation after they visited Pantoja's home and found her phone and car still there. Her friends told police that they believed a recent ex-boyfriend could be behind her disappearance and her neighbors noted they heard a man and a woman arguing inside Pantoja’s residence on the night of her disappearance, the Independent reported.

Pantoja’s remains were found on May 20. Hours after the discovery, 24-year-old Mario Juan Chacon, Jr. was arrested on suspicion of murder, according to the Midland Police Department.

Authorities have not given any details on what led police to suspect Chacon in her death or if they knew each other previously.

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The investigation into Pantoja’s death is ongoing and an autopsy will be performed in Dallas, officials said.

Chacon was booked into the Midland County jail and is being held without bond, according to authorities.