Investigators found remains believed to be Arianna Bailey Jones in a shallow grave near Lake Pleasant, Glendale police said.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — A Peoria man faces a first-degree murder charge after investigators found human remains believed to be those of a 21-year-old Glendale woman who disappeared after meeting him in person for the first time, police said.
Dominic Scot-Glen Rodolico, 24, was arrested July 11 during the investigation into the disappearance of Arianna Bailey Jones. Search teams using cadaver dogs found the remains that day in a remote desert area near Lake Pleasant, according to Glendale police and court records described by local news outlets. Authorities had not formally confirmed the identity of the remains when police announced the arrest. The cause and manner of death also had not been released.
A relative reported Jones missing July 7 after family members had been unable to contact her for two days. Jones was last known to be at her apartment near 59th and Northern avenues in Glendale. When relatives checked the home, they found damage to the front door, a broken cellphone and her dog inside a kennel without food or water, according to information released during the investigation.
Jones’ wallet was missing, and regular video calls with her 2-year-old son had stopped, family members told investigators. The child was staying with relatives at the time. A friend told police that Jones planned to meet an acquaintance for a movie on the evening of July 5. Investigators later identified Rodolico as the person who picked her up from the apartment.
Police said Jones and Rodolico had met through social media and exchanged several brief calls over a period of weeks. Investigators believe July 5 was the first time the two met face to face. Authorities have not described the contact as a long-term relationship and have not announced a possible motive.
Detectives reviewed surveillance recordings, cellphone records and vehicle-location information as they reconstructed the pair’s movements. Police said location data showed Rodolico’s phone traveling with Jones’ phone after he picked her up. Her device last registered early July 6 in a desert area near Lake Pleasant Parkway and Old Carefree Highway.
Investigators allege Rodolico traveled to the same remote location three times on the day Jones disappeared, including once before he picked her up. Detectives also cited the purchase of materials they believe were later associated with the burial site. Police have said those movements contributed to their belief that the killing was planned, though the evidence has not yet been tested at trial.
Search crews found decomposing human remains in a shallow grave July 11, authorities said. Investigators also recovered clothing, movie theater cups and other items from the area. Police said the location and evidence led them to believe the remains belonged to Jones, but final identification was pending further examination.
Rodolico was arrested later that day, reportedly while cleaning the rear portion of his vehicle. Court records cited by local news organizations said investigators observed an injury to his hand or arm and reviewed surveillance recordings that appeared to show him cleaning the vehicle after Jones disappeared.
Police said Rodolico acknowledged being with Jones but gave an account that changed during questioning. He reportedly told investigators that two unidentified men attacked them and that Jones was stabbed while he escaped. Detectives said he was unable to provide details that allowed them to verify that account. Authorities allege that physical and digital evidence instead connected him to Jones’ disappearance and death.
Jones’ mother, Sophia Sardinas, told Arizona’s Family that her daughter was devoted to her young son and hoped to build a family. Sardinas distributed missing-person flyers and searched for information during the days after Jones disappeared. She said she wanted the public to remember her daughter as a person and mother rather than only as the victim of a violent crime.
Rodolico was booked on suspicion of first-degree murder and was being held on a $2 million cash bond, according to police. The charge is an allegation, and he has not been convicted. Information about an attorney representing him was not immediately available in the reports reviewed.
The investigation remained active as authorities worked to formally identify the remains, determine how the woman died and establish a possible motive. Police had not announced additional arrests or released a timeline for the medical examiner’s findings as of July 14.
Author note: Last updated July 14, 2026.