On May 16, 2003, 26-year-old Zoila Mariza Salcedo was last seen leaving her apartment in the 1500 block of Hollister Street in Houston, Texas. She was in the company of 43-year-old Arturo Velazquez-Celon, a friend and coworker. Salcedo had told her family she was taking Velazquez-Celon to an eye doctor appointment in either Houston or Austin, Texas. The two departed in Salcedo's green Ford Explorer.
The last time Salcedo's family had any contact with her was between noon and 12:30 p.m. that day. Salcedo was the mother of a young daughter, and her family insists it was out of character for her to abandon her child.
Five days later, on May 21, Salcedo's Ford Explorer was discovered in the 7200 block of Pinemont Street, parked at the apartment complex where Velazquez-Celon resided. There was no sign of Salcedo or Velazquez-Celon. However, inside Velazquez-Celon's apartment, investigators found evidence of a violent struggle. Blood that was later matched to Salcedo's DNA was present at the scene, along with her purse and driver's license.
The circumstances of her disappearance led authorities to reclassify her case as a homicide on June 6, 2003. Arturo Velazquez-Celon was subsequently charged with her murder. Investigations revealed that just hours after Salcedo was last seen, Velazquez-Celon had purchased a bus ticket to San Luis, Mexico. A friend who drove him to the bus station reported that Velazquez-Celon was in possession of Salcedo's cell phone, but she was not with him. The friend also noted that Velazquez-Celon seemed desperate to leave Houston and had not informed his employer of his departure. Despite having family in Mexico, they have reportedly not heard from him since his disappearance in May 2003. Velazquez-Celon, who has a date of birth of May 30, 1960, has previously resided in Chicago, Illinois, where he used the alias Rene Martinez, and may also go by the name Jose Refugio. Neither Zoila Mariza Salcedo nor Arturo Velazquez-Celon has been located. Foul play is strongly suspected in Salcedo's disappearance.Last Seen: May 16, 2003
