A first date arranged through social media ended in a shallow desert grave, according to Glendale police, who have arrested 24-year-old Domonic Rodolico on suspicion of murder.
Police announced Monday that investigators discovered what they believe are the remains of 21-year-old Arianna Bailey Jones in a secluded desert area north of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Rodolico faces a first-degree premeditated murder charge.
According to investigators, Jones and Rodolico met online and decided to meet in person for what appears to have been their first date. Detectives believe the pair attended a movie before driving to a remote desert location where the crime allegedly occurred.
During questioning, Rodolico denied killing Jones and claimed that two unknown men appeared in the desert and attacked both of them. "He is saying that the two of them were in this remote area and that two individuals showed up and attacked them," said Glendale Police Department Public Information Officer Jose Santiago. "At some point he made his escape and Ms. Jones stayed behind."
However, investigators stated that physical evidence, surveillance video, and digital evidence gathered linked Rodolico to the crime. Police noted that his account of events changed repeatedly during interviews, becoming more or less dramatic. Detectives also found it suspicious that Rodolico never reported the alleged attack to law enforcement or called 911.
Santiago added that Rodolico told investigators Jones was "probably not alive" after the alleged attack, despite never contacting authorities.
Surveillance video captured Rodolico cleaning the back seat of his vehicle after Jones disappeared, according to police. He also had wounds consistent with stab injuries, which he attributed to the alleged attackers.
Authorities utilized the department's Real Time Crime Center, surveillance cameras, and cellphone data to reconstruct the couple's movements, tracking them from Jones' apartment to a movie theater and then to the desert location. A movie theater concession cup found at the scene helped investigators connect the burial site to the couple's date.
Evidence also indicated Rodolico had traveled to the secluded area multiple times before Jones disappeared, though investigators have not yet determined if the killing was premeditated. "We don't know if he was planning this or if this was happenstance," Santiago said.
Jones' family reported her missing on July 7 after not hearing from her for several days, which they described as highly unusual. A search warrant at Jones' apartment revealed her cellphone was still there and her dog was locked in a crate, apparently without food and in its own waste.
Investigators located what they described as a shallow grave in a remote desert area north of the Valley. While the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office is still working to determine the official cause and manner of death, clothing and other physical evidence recovered with the body matched Jones, allowing detectives to identify the remains. A distinctive forearm tattoo was among the identifying features.
The case was reportedly solved within four days, with assistance from the department's Special Investigations Unit, the U.S. Marshals Task Force, and advanced technology.
Rodolico has a prior arrest history involving theft-related offenses and was on probation at the time of his arrest, according to police. He is being held on a $2 million cash bond.
His prior arrest involved the burglary of two gas stations in May 2025, where he was accused of impersonating an employee and stealing money. He pleaded guilty to criminal impersonation and was sentenced in November 2025 to two years of supervised probation.