Update:
5:39 p.m. Nov. 2, 2024: Updated with more details from police.
Denton County man jailed in killing of woman whose body was found outside home
Police arrested Adrian Joe Padilla in connection with the killing of Mary Inez Jacinto.
A man in Denton County is accused of killing a 71-year-old female relative whose body was found wrapped in blankets under some dirt outside the home they shared, according to police and news reports.
Aubrey police arrested 24-year-old Adrian Joe Padilla in connection with the killing of Mary Inez Jacinto. The town’s police chief, Richard Brooks, said Padilla’s father was adopted into the family and Padilla and Jacinto weren’t blood relatives.
Padilla was booked into the Denton County jail on charges of capital murder and tampering with or fabricating evidence with intent to impair a human corpse, online records show. He remained in custody Saturday, with bail set at $11 million, Brooks said. It is unclear if Padilla has a lawyer.
Aubrey police said in a news release that officers were sent just before 8 p.m. Monday to a report of a welfare concern at a home in the 11100 block of Canyon Oak Street in the Silverado Community.
Police said that the homeowner, Jacinto, had not responded to calls and texts from her family. When the officers knocked on the front door, they did not get an answer.
Police said the officers found Padilla in the backyard, and he was detained. The officers also found Jacinto’s body, Brooks said. He said police believe Padilla intended to bury Jacinto in the yard, as she was found wrapped in blankets “under some dirt.”
Police believe a knife was used to kill Jacinto, Brooks said.
According to a report by KDFW-TV (Channel 4), officers searched the home and found a shovel, fresh dirt and bleach bottles in a bedroom. The report also said detectives found large kitchen knives with blood on them in a sink, and that Jacinto’s body had stab wounds.
Brooks said Padilla told investigators that he acted in self-defense. However, he said, no evidence points to a conclusion yet about what happened.
Police said Tuesday that the investigation continued and asked anyone with information to contact them at 940-365-2601 or PDTips@aubreytx.gov.
Anonymous tips may be submitted to Denton County Crime Stoppers at 800-388-8477 or www.dentoncountycrimestoppers.com.
