VOLUNTEERS SEARCH WOODED AREAS AND CREEKS FOR MISSING TEXAS MOTHER AS THREE CHILDREN WAIT FOR ANSWERS
A desperate search is continuing for a missing Texas mother whose family has been left waiting for answers for more than six weeks.
Marjulin Daiuru Briceño Arrieta, 42, disappeared in Denton, Texas, on September 28, 2026. Although investigators believe she was killed, her body has not been found, and her estranged husband remains wanted on a murder warrant.
Now, volunteers are returning to rural areas near Highway 380, hoping that a discovery made weeks ago will help lead them to Marjulin.
A WALLET DISCOVERY GAVE SEARCHERS A NEW LEAD
On October 18, volunteers searching near Highway 380 in Decatur found Marjulin’s wallet, nearly three weeks after she vanished.
The wallet contained her identification, credit cards and other personal belongings. The discovery was turned over to law enforcement.
Private investigator Alfonso Solis, who helped organize the volunteer searches, described the find as a breakthrough after weeks without a significant clue.
The discovery prompted searchers to focus their efforts on a more specific area. However, authorities have not publicly confirmed that the wallet has established where Marjulin may be.
SEARCH TEAMS FOCUS ON WOODED AREAS AND CREEKS
The search continued on November 8, when around 20 volunteers joined efforts along Highway 380 toward the Wise County line.
Solis said the team was concentrating on wooded areas, creek beds and difficult terrain along a route investigators believe may be connected to the suspect’s movements.
He told FOX 4 that the search area had been narrowed to approximately 15 miles, compared with a much wider area they had initially considered.
Despite the progress, finding Marjulin remains the priority. Volunteers are hoping that even a small piece of evidence could help investigators understand what happened.
POLICE BELIEVE HER ESTRANGED HUSBAND KILLED HER
According to the Denton Police Department, Marjulin was last known to have met her estranged husband, 49-year-old Richard Pastor Perez, at his apartment in the 1900 block of North Ruddell Street at approximately 6:45 p.m. on September 28.
Her family became concerned when they could no longer reach either of them and reported her missing.
Investigators later found Marjulin’s vehicle abandoned near Perez’s apartment. Police also discovered that the license plates on the vehicles had been switched.
Authorities tracked Perez’s white 2013 Ford Escape through Texas and into New Mexico using license-plate recognition cameras. The vehicle was eventually located in Albuquerque.
Hotel surveillance footage from September 30 showed a man matching Perez’s description leaving the vehicle before it was abandoned. Investigators said no one else was seen with him in the footage.
Based on evidence gathered during the investigation, detectives believe Perez killed Marjulin and obtained a murder arrest warrant.
He has not been located, and the investigation remains ongoing. The warrant represents an accusation, not a conviction.
THREE CHILDREN ARE LEFT FACING AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE
Behind the search is a family struggling with the possibility that Marjulin may never return.
She is the mother of three children. According to family advocate Denisse Carrera, her 18-year-old daughter is now trying to care for her nine-year-old brother while the family waits for answers.
Carrera described the emotional burden placed on the teenager, who had hoped to pursue her own education and future but is now facing responsibilities far beyond her age.
The children are not only waiting to learn what happened to their mother. They are also hoping searchers can bring her home so the family can finally have some form of closure.
DENTON POLICE AND THE FBI CONTINUE THE SEARCH
The Denton Police Department and FBI Dallas are continuing efforts to locate Perez. Authorities believe he may have left Texas.
Denton County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to his arrest.
Anyone with information about Perez’s whereabouts is urged to contact Denton County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-388-TIPS (8477).
For Marjulin’s children and loved ones, every day without answers brings more uncertainty. Volunteers continue searching, hoping the next clue will finally lead them to the mother they desperately want to bring home.
