Local
Volunteers, Private Investigator Narrow Search for Missing Denton Mother to 15-Mile Stretch Along Highway 380
Dozens of volunteers and a private investigator are focusing on a 15-mile stretch of Highway 380 near the Wise County line in the search for Marjulin Bricveno Arrieta, a 42-year-old Denton mother missing since September 28. Her estranged husband, Richard Pastor Perez, is wanted for murder and is believed to have fled Texas, with Denton police and the FBI leading the manhunt.
DENTON, Texas â The search for a missing Denton mother has narrowed to a roughly 15-mile stretch along Highway 380 near the Wise County line, where volunteers and a private investigator spent Sunday combing creeks and wooded areas for any sign of 42-year-old Marjulin Bricveno Arrieta.
Arrieta was last seen on September 28 after meeting her estranged husband at his apartment in Denton. Her family reported her missing when she did not return. Three weeks ago, searchers recovered her wallet in the area now drawing renewed attention.
About 20 volunteers turned out over the weekend to walk the route, which private investigator Alfonso Solis believes Perez may have taken after leaving Denton. Solis said the recovered wallet has helped sharply reduce the territory search teams must cover.
"We've narrowed it down to, you know, maybe 15 linear miles," Solis said. "15 linear miles is so much better than 350 linear miles. So, we're close."
Denton police have issued a murder warrant for Richard Pastor Perez, Arrieta's estranged husband. Authorities believe Perez has left Texas, and the FBI is assisting in the search for him. A $2,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his arrest.
The case has devastated Arrieta's three children. Her 18-year-old daughter is now caring for her nine-year-old brother while the family waits for answers.
Denisse Carrera, who has been speaking on behalf of the family, described the toll the disappearance has taken on the teenager.
"It's really hard to hear like a kid say that," Carrera said. "She's like, I had hopes and dreams. I wanted to go to college, and now I'm adopting my brother. And she's like, and now I'm trying to be a mom for my little brother, and I feel dead inside."
Volunteers who joined Sunday's search said they were motivated by a desire to help the family find closure, even as the criminal investigation continues.
"You got to finish the mission, you know," said volunteer Jared Williamson, a military veteran. "And being military, that's the big thing: finishing the mission, getting out there, making sure you accomplish what you did."
Another volunteer described the effort as a way to support Arrieta's children. "Just trying to make sure, like the kids have closure," the volunteer said. "Make sure we find what we need to find and make sure that the family is at peace."
Authorities are asking anyone with information about Arrieta's whereabouts or Perez's location to contact Denton police or the FBI. The investigation remains active, and search teams say they will continue working the Highway 380 corridor in the coming days.