The 2015 Unresolved Murder of Miguel Rodriguez (Yuba County)
It's been nearly 3 years since his family has heard his voice, but the family of Juan Miguel Rodriguez is not giving up. In the papers and news reports, he was referred to by his full name, but to friends and family, they knew him as Miguel.
A string of strange events led up to the story we're sharing.
Occasionally when writing about these stories, I come across a story that really touches my heart, or outrages me. This is one of those.
I came across the family of Miguel when they were searching for justice on a local "Unsolved" Yuba Sutter Facebook group. I was curious to learn more about their story, as I had read about it many times. The story itself was one that throughout this last two years, our followers had asked me about. Having loosely kept up with the story myself, I thought the outcome was different than it really was.
The last I had heard, the wife of Miguel had been arrested for his death, but then that was kind of the last I had heard. Only this week, 3 years after he disappeared, did I realize that charges against the wife had been dropped. I was honestly shocked when I saw family posting that his case had been unresolved.
Miguel's body had been dumped only just down the road from where I lived, so I thought of his occasionally.
When we read the papers, I think that we read becomes gospel. This to me was a lesson that when people ask me about a case, always double check. I thought this was an open and closed case. That was the furthest thing from the truth.
To the family of Miguel, our hearts go out to you.
Timeline:
It was October 2014 the last time friends and family heard from Miguel. No one thought much of it when time had passed and they had not talked to him. From October to January 2015, family was in continual contact with his wife, Monica who claimed that he had been working in Colorado or Texas where he worked on oil rigs. She also reported that her Smith & Wesson handgun was missing.
The family thought nothing of it considering Miguel's job took him many places.
On January 23rd 2015 Monica reported Miguel missing to the police. It was also reported that no one had physically seen him since October of the previous year.
In April, the Yuba County Sheriff's Department received an anonymous tip that Miguel had been murdered, and that his body was buried in a rural area of Olivehurst.
According to Lt. Brandon Barnes, April 6th, YCSD searched the area with Cadaver K-9's but yielded nothing.
May 29th, Sgt. Wendell Anderson returned to the area after receiving more information. On that day, 300 yards off Country Club Road, Miguel was found buried in a shallow grave.
He was wrapped in a tarp secured with black duct tape. A mattress and other garbage was strung atop the grave. It seems perhaps the land owner had been burning trash. Whoever dumped Miguel, may have used the fire debris, in an attempt to conceal evidence of a grave there.
Through his tattoos, the Sheriff's Department was able to confirm that the man found this small grave, was in fact Miguel.
Police stated that the cause of death was a bullet wound consistent with a shotgun. He also had a grazing bullet wound near his neck area.
The anonymous caller also named his wife Monica Rodriguez as the shooter.
To this day, family is not certain who that anonymous caller was.
Following the discovery of his body, Monica Kelly Rodriguez was arrested for murder. She was held without bail. Also arrested as accessories: Monica's sister, Lorena Ruiz and also her cousin, Maria Vega. Both were also held initially without bail.
A search of Miguel and Monica's East Linda home in Park Circle yielded quite a bit of evidence. Blood splatter was discovered on shower walls and the shower head, after officers sprayed luminol in effort to find evidence.
Also found in the home was black duct tape that appeared to match the black duct tape found with Miguel's body.
Outside of these two facts, detectives have been resistant to share information with the public.
June 8th, bail for both Ruiz and Vega had been dropped from $200,000 to $50,000. Both plead not guilty to the charges being brought against them. Their defense attorney stated that there was no proof linking the two women to the murder, aside from an anonymous call from someone claiming that they were involved.
According to a September 2nd edition of the Appeal Democrat, murder charges against Monica Rodriguez were dropped due insufficient evidence. District Attorney Michael Byrne filed a request to have the charges dropped, after critical witnesses needed to prosecute her, refused to testify and forensic evidence was deemed inconclusive.
Uncooperative witnesses, according to McGrath, could be held in contempt, but that ultimately no one could be forced to talk. Regardless of bringing charges against them for refusing to help, that it did not mean that it would cause them to provide information.
According to the same article, the possibilty of the D.A.'s office filing charges in the future are probable. In fear of having a jury return a not guilty verdict based on insufficient evidence, the D.A. decided that it would be best to dismiss charges at this time.
District Attorney Pat McGrath stated, "Once in trial, you have one shot."
Speaking With The Family of Miguel
Talking to family, it's not hard to see what a devastating tragedy this has been. As if the initial act was not hard enough, the dismissal from the lack of evidence in this situation has been a violation all over again.
His cousin Rosann spoke to me openly about Miguel and the events that unfolded, "Our family was devastated at the news of losing Miguel. He was a loving father, son, grandson, brother, cousin and overall a great human being. He had the biggest heart. He would drop everything to help anyone; even a stranger. He did not deserve what happened to him. He DOES deserve justice. His killer(s) and their accomplices remain free. Free to live their lives as they see fit. Miguel can not do so. They took that away from him. They took him away from us, from his children. Please if you know anything contact the detectives. Help us get justice for Miguel and peace for his family. We’d like to thank the person who gave the anonymous tip that lead the police to Miguel. Without that tip we would have even more questions. Even without your testimony we are still grateful you came forward."
Miguel's mother added, "He has three kids with her had a big heart he would take off his only shirt and give it to a stranger buy food help with anyone in need my son had the biggest heart loved all his family."
Sirena, Miguel's sister (who was the person I originally made contact with) also wanted to thank whoever have the anonymous tip to YCSD, "... I’d like to thank who ever did help us find Miguel, even though they didn’t testify, I don’t think we would of known he was missing or anything without (them)."
Resources:
Blood splatter, duct tape, tarp cited in murder case
Bail reduced for two defendants in murder case
Marysville Woman Accused Of Killing Husband, Burying Him With Help Of 2 Other Women
Charges dropped against woman accused of killing husband
A string of strange events led up to the story we're sharing.
Occasionally when writing about these stories, I come across a story that really touches my heart, or outrages me. This is one of those.
I came across the family of Miguel when they were searching for justice on a local "Unsolved" Yuba Sutter Facebook group. I was curious to learn more about their story, as I had read about it many times. The story itself was one that throughout this last two years, our followers had asked me about. Having loosely kept up with the story myself, I thought the outcome was different than it really was.
The last I had heard, the wife of Miguel had been arrested for his death, but then that was kind of the last I had heard. Only this week, 3 years after he disappeared, did I realize that charges against the wife had been dropped. I was honestly shocked when I saw family posting that his case had been unresolved.
Miguel's body had been dumped only just down the road from where I lived, so I thought of his occasionally.
When we read the papers, I think that we read becomes gospel. This to me was a lesson that when people ask me about a case, always double check. I thought this was an open and closed case. That was the furthest thing from the truth.
To the family of Miguel, our hearts go out to you.
 |
| The location where the body of Juan Miguel Rodriguez was found by YCSD on May 29th, 2015. Photo by Kirk Barron |
Timeline:
It was October 2014 the last time friends and family heard from Miguel. No one thought much of it when time had passed and they had not talked to him. From October to January 2015, family was in continual contact with his wife, Monica who claimed that he had been working in Colorado or Texas where he worked on oil rigs. She also reported that her Smith & Wesson handgun was missing.
The family thought nothing of it considering Miguel's job took him many places.
On January 23rd 2015 Monica reported Miguel missing to the police. It was also reported that no one had physically seen him since October of the previous year.
In April, the Yuba County Sheriff's Department received an anonymous tip that Miguel had been murdered, and that his body was buried in a rural area of Olivehurst.
According to Lt. Brandon Barnes, April 6th, YCSD searched the area with Cadaver K-9's but yielded nothing.
May 29th, Sgt. Wendell Anderson returned to the area after receiving more information. On that day, 300 yards off Country Club Road, Miguel was found buried in a shallow grave.
 |
| Miguel Rodriguez |
He was wrapped in a tarp secured with black duct tape. A mattress and other garbage was strung atop the grave. It seems perhaps the land owner had been burning trash. Whoever dumped Miguel, may have used the fire debris, in an attempt to conceal evidence of a grave there.
Through his tattoos, the Sheriff's Department was able to confirm that the man found this small grave, was in fact Miguel.
Police stated that the cause of death was a bullet wound consistent with a shotgun. He also had a grazing bullet wound near his neck area.
The anonymous caller also named his wife Monica Rodriguez as the shooter.
To this day, family is not certain who that anonymous caller was.
A search of Miguel and Monica's East Linda home in Park Circle yielded quite a bit of evidence. Blood splatter was discovered on shower walls and the shower head, after officers sprayed luminol in effort to find evidence.
Also found in the home was black duct tape that appeared to match the black duct tape found with Miguel's body.
Outside of these two facts, detectives have been resistant to share information with the public.
June 8th, bail for both Ruiz and Vega had been dropped from $200,000 to $50,000. Both plead not guilty to the charges being brought against them. Their defense attorney stated that there was no proof linking the two women to the murder, aside from an anonymous call from someone claiming that they were involved.
According to a September 2nd edition of the Appeal Democrat, murder charges against Monica Rodriguez were dropped due insufficient evidence. District Attorney Michael Byrne filed a request to have the charges dropped, after critical witnesses needed to prosecute her, refused to testify and forensic evidence was deemed inconclusive.
Uncooperative witnesses, according to McGrath, could be held in contempt, but that ultimately no one could be forced to talk. Regardless of bringing charges against them for refusing to help, that it did not mean that it would cause them to provide information.
According to the same article, the possibilty of the D.A.'s office filing charges in the future are probable. In fear of having a jury return a not guilty verdict based on insufficient evidence, the D.A. decided that it would be best to dismiss charges at this time.
District Attorney Pat McGrath stated, "Once in trial, you have one shot."
Speaking With The Family of Miguel
Talking to family, it's not hard to see what a devastating tragedy this has been. As if the initial act was not hard enough, the dismissal from the lack of evidence in this situation has been a violation all over again.
His cousin Rosann spoke to me openly about Miguel and the events that unfolded, "Our family was devastated at the news of losing Miguel. He was a loving father, son, grandson, brother, cousin and overall a great human being. He had the biggest heart. He would drop everything to help anyone; even a stranger. He did not deserve what happened to him. He DOES deserve justice. His killer(s) and their accomplices remain free. Free to live their lives as they see fit. Miguel can not do so. They took that away from him. They took him away from us, from his children. Please if you know anything contact the detectives. Help us get justice for Miguel and peace for his family. We’d like to thank the person who gave the anonymous tip that lead the police to Miguel. Without that tip we would have even more questions. Even without your testimony we are still grateful you came forward."
Miguel's mother added, "He has three kids with her had a big heart he would take off his only shirt and give it to a stranger buy food help with anyone in need my son had the biggest heart loved all his family."
Sirena, Miguel's sister (who was the person I originally made contact with) also wanted to thank whoever have the anonymous tip to YCSD, "... I’d like to thank who ever did help us find Miguel, even though they didn’t testify, I don’t think we would of known he was missing or anything without (them)."
We urge that if anyone has any information on this case, please contact the Yuba County Sheriff’s Department Investigations Unit at
530-749-7777
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| Last known photo of Miguel |
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| The scene off of Country Club Road where the body of Miguel Rodriguez was found on May 29th, 2015. Photos courtesy of Miguel's family. |
Blood splatter, duct tape, tarp cited in murder case
Bail reduced for two defendants in murder case
Marysville Woman Accused Of Killing Husband, Burying Him With Help Of 2 Other Women
Charges dropped against woman accused of killing husband
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