Holbrook man arrested in California for murder, Holbrook woman dead

HOLBROOK, Ariz. — A Holbrook man was arrested on suspicion of murder in the death of his estranged girlfriend, whose body was found in the trunk of a car parked outside his parents’ home in Huntington Beach, California, police said Nov. 7.

On the evening of Nov. 6, Holbrook Police Department received a call that Christi Lynn Romero, 54, of Holbrook was missing.

Officers checked her residence on East Iowa in Holbrook where they found evidence of forced entry into the home. Romero was not inside and her vehicle was also missing.

Police issued an attempt-to-locate bulletin for Romero, and identified 34-year-old Richard Paul Rodriguez — her estranged boyfriend — as a suspect in the case.

Holbrook police said Romero and Rodriguez had lived together, but Rodriguez was removed from the home when Romero obtained a protective order against him in early November.

Holbrook police included a photo of Romero’s red, two-door sedan, a 1995 Plymouth Neon, that was believed to have been stolen by Rodriguez in the bulletin.

Phone location data indicated the vehicle was traveling toward California on I-10. T

Police waited for Rodriguez to show up at his parents’ residence in Huntington Beach and police found the body of a dead female in the trunk. The body was confirmed to be that of Romero by the Orange County Coroner’s Office Nov. 7.

Rodriguez is currently in custody in California on charges related to this incident.

Holbrook Police Department is working with the Huntington Beach Police Department and has contacted the FBI. They sent condolences to the family and friends of Romero and remind the public this is an active investigation.