Family hopes wallet discovery leads to whereabouts of missing Denton mother

DENTON, Texas - The children of a missing Denton woman hope her recently-recovered wallet will lead to the discovery of her whereabouts and the capture of her estranged husband, who police believe murdered her.

Investigation details and murder warrant

What we know:

Marjulin Briceño Arrieta, a 42-year-old mother of three, was last seen Sept. 28 after meeting her estranged husband, Richard Pastor Perez, at his Denton apartment. Her family later reported her missing.

A family advocate tells FOX 4 Briceno Arrieta had met Perez to try and sell her vehicle.

Police later found Briceño Arrieta’s car abandoned near Perez’s apartment. Investigators also discovered the license plates on their vehicles had been switched. 

A Flock camera tracked Perez’s SUV through West Texas and into New Mexico in late September. Perez was seen abandoning the vehicle at an Albuquerque motel on Sept. 30.

Perez is now wanted for murder. Police believe Briceño Arrieta is dead but have not found her body or Perez. 

Private investigators narrow search area

Dig deeper:

Over the weekend, a private investigator and volunteers found Briceño Arrieta’s wallet along Highway 380. Alfonso Solis, the private investigator, tells FOX 4 the findings were turned over to law enforcement.

Solis said the group also found "a piece of her" and something that belonged to her, but did not specify what else they found.

Denton Police said they had no updates at this time.

What they're saying:

A family advocate said Briceño Arrieta’s children are struggling to process what happened. Her 9-year-old son reportedly learned from classmates that police believe his mother was killed, leaving his 18-year-old sister to explain the situation to him.

Denisse Carrera, who knows Briceño Arrieta from church, tells FOX 4's Lori Brown the children were alone in their apartment for five days before she stepped in to help.

She says the children tried to report their mother missing the same day as the meeting, but police told them to wait 24 hours before making a report. "They were urging the police, saying, 'My mom is a victim. He's been harassing her, stalking her. Please look for her.' And they told them that they have to wait 24 hours."

"They saw their mom go through a really bad domestic violence case, that when their mom separated from her ex-husband, these kids were actually really happy about it," Carrera said. "These children's words were exactly like, ‘This is the first time we felt peace in a long time and our fridge was finally filled with food.’"

Carrera says Sunday, when Briceño Arrieta’s wallet was located, was an emotional day for her children. She hopes the discovery will lead to finding Briceño Arrieta's location.

"We just urge the community to not stop searching for her, just not stop searching for him."

Suspect search & reward info

What you can do:

Local law enforcement and the FBI are still searching for Perez. Denton County Crime Stoppers is offering a $2,000 cash reward for information leading to his arrest.

Anonymous tips can be left at 1-800-388-TIPS (8477) or at dentoncountycrimestoppers.com.