Local
Wallet found near Decatur adds new lead in search for missing Denton woman
Volunteers found Marjulin Briceño Arrieta’s wallet in a rural area near Decatur, nearly three weeks after she disappeared. Police are still searching for her estranged husband, Richard Perez, who is wanted in connection with her suspected killing.
A volunteer search team found Marjulin Briceño Arrieta’s wallet along a rural road near Highway 360 in Decatur on Sunday morning, nearly three weeks after the 42-year-old Denton woman disappeared. The wallet contained her identification, credit cards and other personal belongings.
Arrieta was last seen Sept. 28, when Denton police say she met with her estranged husband, 49-year-old Richard Perez, at his apartment. Perez is wanted in connection with her suspected murder and remains at large. Police and the FBI are asking the public for help finding him; investigators said he was last seen in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The wallet was found during one of two volunteer-led searches organized Sunday by Alfonso Solis, founder of a search-and-rescue nonprofit. Denton and Wise county sheriff’s offices responded, along with the Texas Department of Public Safety, which recovered the item. Authorities searched the surrounding field, but investigators have not said whether the discovery has helped determine where Arrieta is.
“There's been nothing found in three weeks. It'll be three weeks tomorrow and this is the first clue that we have,” Solis said, describing the find as a breakthrough. Relatives hugged and wept after learning about the wallet’s recovery.
Police said Arrieta’s car was found abandoned at Perez’s apartment after she vanished. Investigators also said Perez changed the license plates on a white 2013 Ford Escape and that license-plate recognition cameras tracked his movements.
Arrieta’s family and community volunteers continue searching as authorities investigate. Denton County Crime Stoppers is offering a $2,000 reward for information that helps locate Perez.