Fort Worth mom kidnapped, dies after being thrown off bridge

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A Fort Worth man is accused of murdering his estranged wife by tying a chunk of concrete to her and throwing her off a bridge to drown.

Elizabeth Arellano, 28, died in the early morning hours of April 16 after falling into the water from the Loop 820 bridge over Lake Worth.

The initial 911 calls to police mentioned a possible suicide. But a witness who had been fishing later told police he saw a woman being thrown off the bridge.

Investigators now believe Elizabeth’s estranged husband, 31-year-old Rodolfo Arellano, kidnapped her and tossed her into the lake to hide her body.  They believe she was still alive when it happened, though.

An arrest warrant affidavit says phone records show he lied to them about where he was when she disappeared and was killed. Police are also investigating whether the concrete and rope used came from Rodolfo’s backyard. Detectives also found pieces of concrete in his backyard, truck bed and driveway.

According to the affidavit, when police showed Arellano's oldest son a picture of the rope, “He recognized the rope recovered from the crime scene… He recalled playing with that rope in his backyard and noticed it was gone."

They also showed him a picture of the chunk of concrete. He told investigators, “It looked similar to one recently seen in his backyard after his father replaced a fence."

Arellano posted a meme to his Facebook that read how long can one go without drinking before they die to which he posted, “I'm already worried.” The post was made a little more than two hours after his wife was killed.

Family members said Elizabeth was a medical assistant and mother of four children. They said she was the glue that held her family together and will remember her for her natural beauty and bright smile.

“She always tried to lead the kids the right way to show respect to her grandma as well as me,” said Fidel Galvon, Elizabeth’s stepfather.

In the days after her death, Arellano posted the GoFundMe page to fund his wife's funeral on Facebook and also links to benefits for his wife.

Arellano’s family members briefly spoke to FOX 4 off camera. They maintained his innocence and said he would never hurt his wife.

Rodolfo is now charged with capital murder. He’s being held in the Mansfield jail on a $500,000 bond.