Police said Sunday that an “undocumented” man was arrested in the death of a Texas high school cheerleader who was discovered dead in her bathtub last week after skipping an event with her team.
Rafael Govea Romero was arrested Saturday in Schulenburg, Texas, and charged with the death of 16-year-old Lizbeth Medina in Edna, approximately 75 miles away, according to police.
Edna Police Chief Rick Boone claimed his agency and the Texas Rangers apprehended the “undocumented male subject” after “countless hours” of investigation, but police did not explain the circumstances of the incident or whether Romero and Medina knew each other.
According to local accounts, the adolescent was discovered dead in her house on December 5 by her mother after failing to march in a Christmas parade with the rest of her high school team.
Jacqueline Medina, the dead girl’s mother, told KAVU-TV last week that she discovered Lizbeth in the bathtub of the apartment they shared in the small town between Houston and San Antonio.
Jacqueline informed the source that she suspected her daughter’s death was connected to a recent break-in at their apartment.
“There were no laced drugs, nothing like that.” “My daughter was discovered in a manner that no mother should ever discover their child,” Medina told the broadcaster. “Someone hurt my child, someone took my child from me.”
The suspect was wearing a black “Volcom” hoodie and had a distinguishing tattoo behind his right ear, according to security footage given by police.
The images looked to match Romero’s mugshot, which showed him with thick dark hair and a beard but no mustache.
According to court records, a 23-year-old guy by the same name was on probation after being detained by Schulenburg police for an unnamed second-degree offense.
“Although Romero is apprehended, we recognize Lizabeth’s family and friends are grieving and still need support from the community,” Boone stated in a press release.
