FORT WORTH -- It is a place that, for so many people, brings peace. But according to Fort Worth police, Lake Worth was the scene of a most violent crime this month.
It was a crime that has left Elizabeth Arellano's family broken.
"We just want to keep her memory alive," said Elizabeth's sister, Johanna Kelly.
On April 16, the family reported the mother of four was missing after finding her car outside their home with the keys in the ignition, but no sign of her.
They didn't know at the time, but she'd already been located. Police say they found Elizabeth's body in Lake Worth after 3:00 a.m. on the 16th, after some fishermen called 911 to report a possible suicide.
But police say it wasn't a suicide.
Rodolpho “Rudy” Arellano, 31, was arrested on a capital murder warrant by fugitive officers at a convenience store Tuesday afternoon. He is accused of kidnapping Elizabeth Arellano and killing her by tossing her into the lake.
Rodolfo Arellano denied News 8's request for an interview Wednesday.
Her family did not want to address Rodolfo or the case, but police say the two were recently separated.
"We want to stay focused on the memory of Elizabeth," said her step-father, Fidel Galvan.
Her body was pulled from Lake Worth on April 16 after police were called to a possible suicide on the Loop 820 bridge over Lake Worth about 3:20 a.m.
“There were witnesses — fishermen — on the lake at the time that the victim was thrown off of the bridge,” said homicide Sgt. Joe Loughman. “It was dark at the time the victim was thrown off the bridge.”
An arrest warrant affidavit says Elizabeth was found in the lake with a rope around her neck, which was attached to a concrete boulder. The boulder, police say, contained a piece of "wooden fence post in the center."
One witness, the document says, described hearing what sounded like screams on the way down. Elizabeth was found wearing her medical scrubs from her job.
Investigators are still awaiting an official ruling on the cause of Elizabeth Arellano’s death but suspect she was alive when thrown from the bridge.
“We believe this was an attempt to conceal the body,” Loughman said.
According to the affidavit, Rodolfo told police he was home the night of the crime and never saw Elizabeth. But police say cell phone records and surveillance video prove otherwise, and they found evidence of the concrete in his truck and at his home.
"She was one of a kind, that's for sure," Kelly said. "She was one-of-a-kind. And that's how we want to remember her."
They say the smiling woman they called "Betty" is in a better place.
Arellano was being held in the Mansfield jail Wednesday with bail set at $500,000. Loughman said Arellano is not cooperating in the investigation.
Fort Worth police ask anyone who might have seen this crime being committed to call them.
Our content partners at the Star-Telegram also contributed to this story. Read their version at this link.
