Anabel Rodriguez

Anabel Rodriguez was a 33-year-old Hispanic mother of three living in Garland, Texas. Her life was violently cut short in an act of domestic violence that unfolded before the eyes of her young children.

The evening of Saturday, March 6, 2021, ended in tragedy at an apartment complex in the 3000 block of West Walnut Street. Around 9 p.m., Garland Police Department officers responded to a call, but it was not a neighbor or a passerby who alerted them. It was Anabel’s own two children, both under the age of 10, who were found wandering outside the apartment, crying and desperately asking for help for their mother. When officers entered the family’s apartment, they found Anabel suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Paramedics rushed her to a local hospital, but her injury was too severe, and she was pronounced dead.

The investigation, led by the Garland Police Department, quickly identified a suspect. Witnesses and evidence pointed to Anabel’s boyfriend, 40-year-old Rodrigo Roman Villareal. Police determined that Villareal had shot Anabel inside her apartment while her two children were present; a third child was not home at the time. "It’s very unfortunate because these are children under the age of 10. So, they witnessed this violence occur in front of them," police Lt. Pedro Barineau told reporters. "I mean, you have young children witnessing a violent attack where their mother gets shot by somebody and they’re left to suffer with it." In the immediate aftermath, the two children were placed in the custody of Child Protective Services.

Following the shooting, Rodrigo Villareal fled the scene. Investigators believe he escaped in a blue, four-door Mazda 6 with Illinois license plate P393720. The Garland Police Department swiftly obtained a murder warrant for his arrest. Villareal, a Hispanic man, is described as being 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing approximately 135 pounds, with black hair. Authorities have stressed that he should be considered armed and dangerous.

In the years since Anabel Rodriguez’s murder, the search for her alleged killer has continued, but he has remained elusive. Villareal became a fugitive from justice, and despite law enforcement efforts, his whereabouts are unknown. The case has received media coverage in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with police releasing Villareal's photograph and vehicle information to the public in the hopes of generating leads.

As of the most recent reports, the investigation into Anabel Rodriguez's homicide remains open and active. Rodrigo Roman Villareal is still wanted on a murder charge. Garland Crime Stoppers has offered a reward of up to $5,000 for any information that leads to his arrest. The Garland Police Department continues to ask for the public’s help in bringing a resolution to this heartbreaking case and securing justice for Anabel and the children she left behind. Anyone with information about the case or the location of Rodrigo Roman Villareal is urged to contact the Garland Police Department at 972-485-4840 or Garland Crime Stoppers at 972-272-TIPS (8477).