Murdered Oak Cliff teen killed by 22-year-old boyfriend who ‘seemed indifferent’: warrant
The 22-year-old suspect arrested in the death of a 16-year-old girl whose body was found in an Oak Cliff creek was allegedly dating the victim, officials said.
Venus Rodriguez was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds around 10 a.m. on Jan. 16 in the 1700 block of Brookhaven Drive. In the arrest warrant affidavit for Arturo Flores, obtained by WFAA-TV, authorities said Rodriguez’s body was covered with a blanket that tied back to Flores.
Investigators found a photo that Rodriguez posted on social media showing a dog and a blanket resembling the one found at the scene. Rodriguez’s family confirmed to authorities that the blanket in the photo and found with her body was one she and Flores used for their dog.
Rodriguez’s family told police she had run off with Flores in September 2022. According to the Oak Cliff Advocate, her family reported her missing about four months ago, two days before her 16th birthday.
Her uncle Victor Arredondo told the Advocate that Venus “met the wrong person” and ran away from home.
Police said Flores only lived around 350 feet away from where authorities found Rodriguez’s body.
A man who lives near where the teen’s body was found told WFAA-TV that he heard several gunshots in the middle of the night.
When police were interviewing Flores, one of his family members was seen leaving the home, according to the warrant. Police pulled him over and he admitted to having two guns in his vehicle. He said both weapons belonged to him.
It’s not clear if one of those guns was the murder weapon, but the vehicle the family member was driving was towed for crime scene processing, according to the warrant.
Police said in the warrant that Flores “showed no emotion” when they interviewed him “and seemed indifferent” about Rodriguez’s murder.
While executing a search warrant for Flores’ home, police found a new air mattress in his room. According to the arrest warrant, witnesses said they saw a family member loading a mattress into a truck on Jan. 12 and leaving the premises.
The arrest warrant said police found evidence of blood that had been cleaned up on the carpet under the new air mattress.
Flores was arrested Saturday and charged with Rodriguez’s murder.
Rodriguez’s family has a GoFundMe account for her funeral expenses. They told the Oak Cliff Advocate that she saw the best in everyone. She played trumpet in the Molina High School band, loved music and makeup, and dreamed of being a beauty specialist.
