‘It’s not fair’: Mother found dead after going out with man she met online, police say

GLENDALE, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) - A mother of a 2-year-old was found dead after going out with a man she met online.

Dominic Scot-Glen Rodolico, 24, is accused of murdering 21-year-old Arianna Bailey Jones, who was reported missing by her family earlier this month.

On July 7, a relative called police after she had not heard from Jones in two days.

The relative told police that there had been no contact with Jones since July 5. Police checked her apartment and found a dog in a kennel with no food or water, seemingly alone for days.

Officers spoke with a friend of Jones, who said Jones had planned to meet an acquaintance for a movie on July 5. Investigators reviewed cell phone data and surveillance video, identifying Rodolico as the person Jones was with that day.

On Saturday, cadaver dogs found human remains in a shallow grave in a remote desert area near Lake Pleasant, Arizona.

Police believe the remains belong to Jones, but the identification has not been confirmed. The cause of death is unknown.

Rodolico was arrested on Saturday, reportedly while he was cleaning the back of his car. He also had an injury to his hand, according to court documents.

Rodolico allegedly told detectives he had been with Jones that day and that they were “jumped” by two unknown men. He claimed that the two men stabbed her and that he was able to escape.

Detectives believe Rodolico planned to kill Jones.

According to Glendale police, Jones and Rodolico met on social media and met in person for the first time on the day she disappeared. It is unclear whether they planned to see a movie.

Rodolico is being held on a $2 million bond.

Jones’s mother, Sophia Sardinas, spent the week after reporting her missing searching for her. She handed out flyers and held onto hope.

She said she wanted the public to know who her daughter was and not just what happened to her.

“It’s not fair, it’s not fair at all to her, to me, to her son, to her brothers and her sisters,” Sardinas said. “It’s not fair to anybody, to her friends. It’s not fair. She was 21 years old, 21.”

Jones was a mother to a 2-year-old son. Sardinas said her daughter had not had an easy childhood. She was adopted at age three and moved between homes before she and Sardinas were reunited when Jones was 18.

“I love my daughter. I love her with all my heart and all my soul. And I’m so sorry that this happened to her, because this was not supposed to happen to her,” she said.

Sardinas said her daughter had plans for her future.

“She wanted to have a family. That’s all she wanted,” Sardinas said.

A GoFundMe was started to help Jones’s family with funeral expenses and to support her son.