Man accused of dismembering woman with chainsaw still on the run

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Investigators are urging the public for help finding a man charged with murder in the case of a Houston mother who went missing more than year ago.

Erik Arceneaux is accused of killing his girlfriend, Maria Jimenez-Rodriguez, and dismembering her body with a chainsaw in 2018, according to court documents.

He remains on the run.

Crime Stoppers shared Arceneaux's mugshot Wednesday afternoon. Though no new details were provided, they're asking anyone with information on the case to contact them.

Jimenez-Rodriguez was last seen on June 21, 2018 when she dropped her daughter off with a babysitter and went to work in her silver truck.

RELATED: Missing Houston mom last seen dropping child off with babysitter

The single mother was a paralegal working at the Milledge Law Firm, but on that day, she never arrived to work. Her co-workers said it was unusual and out of character.

Investigators say her co-workers also said that they started receiving strange text messages from Jimenez-Rodriguez saying that she would be late.

Her co-workers questioned the legitimacy of the text messages because they didn't sound like they were coming from her.

According to court documents, Arceneaux told police he hadn't seen Jimenez-Rodriguez that day, but cell phone data showed that their phones were at the same location.

Authorities say they tracked the phones to a Home Depot in northwest Houston and surveillance video shows a man matching Arceneaux's description purchasing trash bags and a chainsaw.

Authorities say they located the receipt for the items which was signed, "Erik Arceneaux." Records show that Jimenez-Rodriguez's phone was at the same location, but she was not seen on surveillance video. Police say they detected blood on the ceiling and walls when they searched Arceneaux's home.

Arceneaux was charged in August 2018, but authorities haven't been able to locate him.

Arceneaux pled guilty to aggravated assault in 2011 after he held a gun to the head of a woman he was dating and threatened to kill her.

The video above is from a previous story.