Missing Glendale mother found dead, man arrested in murder case

Arianna Jones, 21, was found dead in a shallow grave, and 24-year-old Domonic Rodolico is in custody on a first-degree murder charge. The case moved from missing-person bulletin to homicide probe in less than a week after Jones was first reported missing, a pace investigators traced through apartment damage, digital records and a remote desert search.

Jones had not been heard from since July 5, and her family became alarmed when they went to her Glendale apartment near 59th and Northern avenues and found damage to the front door. Relatives also found a broken cell phone, a missing wallet and a dog left in a kennel without food or water. Routine video calls to Jones’ 2-year-old son had stopped before authorities found her.

Glendale police issued a public bulletin on July 9 asking for help locating Jones. Jones and Rodolico had met for a first date that included a trip to the movies before they traveled to a remote desert area near Lake Pleasant. Detectives used cell-phone data, surveillance video and vehicle tracking to follow the pair from Jones’ apartment to a movie theater in North Phoenix and then into the desert. Cadaver dogs helped lead investigators to a body in a shallow grave on July 11, and physical evidence at the scene led them to believe the remains were Jones.

Investigators had enough evidence to identify the body even before medical examiner results were complete, Glendale police communications administrator Jose Santiago said. Police have not publicly detailed how Jones died, and the motive remains unclear. Court records in the case show Rodolico told police that he and Jones were attacked by two unknown people, but investigators had already gathered evidence connecting him to the offense and believed he was responsible.

Rodolico is being held on a $2 million cash bond while the murder case advances. He was on two years of probation at the time of his arrest for previous criminal impersonation and theft. Jones’ mother, Sophia Sardinas, said her daughter had “the most beautiful smile” and loved her child deeply, and a fundraiser was started to help with funeral costs and support the boy.