MESQUITE, Texas — A suspect has been arrested and accused of killing a Dallas ISD teacher who went missing late last September, officials said Thursday.
Mesquite police said officers were dispatched on Oct. 12 to an area near Interstate 20 and Lawson Road to investigate human remains that were discovered.
After an extensive investigation, the victim was identified by medical examiners as 24-year-old Jennifer Mendez Olascoaga from Dallas. The Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office ruled her death as a homicide.
Investigators identified a suspect in the case, 34-year-old Sixto Banegas Matute, who was later arrested on Jan. 10. According to an arrest affidavit, police were able to locate Matute and Olascoaga's phones at the same area along I-20 within a few seconds of each other, and also in the area where Olascoaga's body was found.
Matute's phone then leaves the area and travels along Interstate 635 to Balch Springs, where he resides. Olascoaga's last phone location appears to be where her body was discovered, the affidavit said.
Matute was charged with murder, officials said. Records showed Matute was in the Mesquite Police Jail as of Jan. 11 and had a bond set at $1 million. Mesquite PD confirmed to WFAA on Friday that Matute was transferred to Dallas County Jail.
The investigation remains active and ongoing.