Texas man, 24, is arrested for the murder of 20-year-old Madeline Pantoja after she disappeared on a night out more than a week ago
- Mario Juan Chacon, 24, was arrested for the murder of Madeline Pantoja, 20
- The arrest came hours after police found Pantoja’s body near Midland, Texas
- Pantoja had been missing for nine days and was last seen on May 10
A man has been arrested for the murder of a woman in western Texas more than a week after she disappeared after a night out.
The arrest of Mario Juan Chacon, 24, on Saturday afternoon came just hours after the body of Madeline Pantoja, 20, was found in the morning, police said.
Mario Juan Chacon, Jr. is now being held without bond as of Saturday night at the Midland County Jail, according to county jail records.
Pantoja was last seen on May 10 at her home at around 11pm, but neighbors say they heard her arguing with her ex-boyfriend hours later at 1.30am.
Pantoja’s phone, purse and dog were still in her apartment when she was reported missing on May 11.
Mario Juan Chacon, 24, is pictured after his arrest on Saturday for the murder of Madeline Pantoja, 20
Madeline Pantoja was last seen on May 10 and reported missing on May 11, triggering a frantic nine-day search
On May 20 her body was found southeast of Midland, approximately 3 miles east of County Road 190 and County Road 1160, police said.
‘At approximately 3.30pm today, Midland Police Department detectives arrested Mario Juan Chacon,’ MPD reported on Saturday.
The investigation into Pantoja’s death is ongoing and an autopsy will be performed in Dallas County, Midland Police said.
News of Pantoja’s death shocked the community, which had been trying to assist with the search since her disappearance.
A Facebook page that had been posting ‘search dates and info’ had nearly 30,000 likes as of Sunday morning.
The number of citizens looking to involve themselves in the investigation caused the police to warn that criminal action would be taken against anybody interfering.
Nonetheless, on Friday before Pantoja was found dead, Midland Mayor Lori Blong announced a $20,000 reward for information leading to her whereabouts.
Pantoja (pictured) was said to have been arguing with her ex-boyfriend the night she disappeared
Midland Police Department said that during the search it soured more than 60 square miles of land
‘I cannot imagine the stress and the concern and worry of Madeline’s family and friends as they’ve gone through this ordeal,’ she said at the time.
She said there was no reason to believe there was a public threat to Midland.
Chief of police in Midland Seth Herman said during Friday’s conference that since the initial report, his department worked 24 hours a day to find Pantoja.
He said officers searched about 60 square miles with the aid of drones and manned aircraft. He said also had over a dozen search warrants and had interviewed 25 people.
