Shivangi Sinha
While investigating the 2009 disappearance and suspected murder of Pamela Butler, police uncovered a connection to another missing woman, Marta Rodriguez. Marta had vanished from Arlington, Virginia, in 1989. She had a steady job and was leading a stable life when she suddenly disappeared without a trace. Despite her family’s efforts to find answers, the case remained unsolved for years. It wasn’t until 2018 that authorities identified remains discovered back in 1991 as belonging to her. NBC’s ‘Dateline: A Haunting Stretch of Road’ explores the details and timeline of the case and how it was eventually solved.
Marta Haydee Rodriguez’s Remains Were Identified Decades After Their Discovery
Marta Haydee had grown up in Puerto Rico, where she met and married Jose Rodriguez-Cruz. The couple had a son together named Hansel Rodriguez. When Jose was drafted into the US Army and left, Marta was left behind to care for their family on her own. Eventually, she moved to Arlington, Virginia, and began working as a nursing aide at a psychiatric hospital. During this time, she discovered that Jose had married another woman named Guadalupe and even had a child with her. She filed for divorce and was moving on with her life.
The last time Marta was seen was on May 25, 1989, when she was spotted walking to a bus stop after finishing work. Police launched an investigation, but with no leads emerging, the case eventually went cold. In Stafford County, Virginia, some remains were found in a highway median strip, but they remained unidentified for years. It wasn’t until 2018, during the investigation into the 2009 murder of Pamela Butler, that the remains were matched to Marta. However, the cause of her death could not be determined.
Marta Haydee Rodriguez’s Killer Was Convicted of Another Murder as Well
The circumstances surrounding Marta Haydee Rodriguez’s disappearance raised several concerns. At the time, she was going through a difficult divorce and had allegedly claimed that her estranged husband, Jose Rodriguez-Cruz, was harassing and threatening her. Tensions escalated when Jose discovered that Marta had begun dating someone else, which allegedly made him furious. In one alleged incident, he abducted her, held her hostage for two days, and physically assaulted her. Marta eventually escaped, and a police officer claimed to have seen Jose attacking her in public, prompting intervention. Jose was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery, as well as felony abduction. A court hearing had been set for May 18, 1989, but Marta never showed up, leading to the charges being dismissed. She had allegedly confided in people close to her that she was afraid of Jose, which may have influenced her decision not to pursue the case.
Marta’s disappearance case remained unsolved until the year 2000, when a driver’s license under her name and Social Security number was used in Miami, Florida. Since she was still listed in the national missing persons database, police followed up with a phone call. A woman answered and confirmed she was Marta, leading to her name being removed from the database. Her family claims they were never informed of this development by the authorities. Her case regained public attention in 2017 when police reopened the 2009 missing persons case of Pamela Butler, who had been in a relationship with Jose Rodriguez-Cruz at the time of her disappearance. With no substantial leads in that case either, investigators reexamined the woman who had claimed to be Marta in 2000.
It was eventually discovered that the woman was actually Jose’s sister-in-law. Jose confessed to killing Pamela Butler and revealed that he had buried her remains in the median of a highway in Stafford County, Virginia. Unfortunately, a road had since been constructed over the area, and her remains could not be recovered. Following this, Pamela’s brother, Derrick Butler, pushed for an investigation into Marta Rodriguez’s disappearance as well. Police then connected her to unidentified remains discovered in 1991, which were sent for testing and confirmed to be hers. Jose pleaded guilty to Marta’s murder in November 2020, claiming she had overdosed, and he panicked and disposed of the body. However, the jury was not convinced and handed down a severe sentence.
Read More: Where is Jose Rodriguez-Cruz Now? Update on the Killer
