Arlington

Police Want to Talk With Woman's Boyfriend Who They Say Disappeared After Her Murder

Woman, 44, was found beaten to death in a parking lot a block from police headquarters on Oct. 30

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Arlington Police are looking for a man identified as a person of interest in the beating death of a woman whose body was found in a parking lot a block from police headquarters.

Arlington Deputy Chief Kyle Dishko, who oversees the department's Central Investigations Division, said Wednesday that police are hoping to speak with the woman's boyfriend, 44-year-old Jose Luis Moreno Castaneda, who has not been seen or heard from since the woman's death last month.

According to police, at about 4 a.m. on Oct. 30 a passerby reported seeing an unresponsive woman lying in a parking lot on the 400 block of N. Cooper Street, just north of the Ott Cribbs Public Safety Center.

First responders found the woman face down and bleeding from the head and pronounced her deceased at the scene.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office identified the woman as 44-year-old Evila Yanes and ruled her death a homicide from blunt force injuries to her head.

NBC 5 News, Arlington Police
Jose Luis Moreno Castaneda, center and left, and Evila Yanes, right.

Police said it is unclear what caused Yanes' injuries and that her body was found next to a white Nissan Altima with temporary tags. Detectives believe she was either driving or riding in the vehicle prior to her death.

On Wednesday, police said Moreno Castaneda had been in a lengthy dating relationship with Yanes and the pair were recorded on surveillance video on Oct. 29 entering a local grocery store, hours before her body was discovered.

Police said Yanes was cropped out of the photo they shared at the request of her family.

"We have not found anyone who has seen or heard from him since her murder. This behavior is very suspicious and concerning to the Arlington Police Department," Deputy Chief Dishko said.

During a news conference Wednesday, police did not release any new details into how or where Yanes was killed or whether Moreno Castaneda had any family in North Texas.

Investigators said Moreno Castaneda is from Mexico and that it's possible he could have left the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Moreno Castaneda has an active warrant for his arrest for a probation violation for failing to let his probation officer know his current location. He is on probation for an assault family violence charge against Yanes in March 2021 where police said he assaulted her and threw gasoline on her.

NBC 5 News
Arlington Deputy Chief Kyle Dishko says they are searching for Jose Luis Morena Castaneda, and hope to speak with him about the death of his girlfriend who was found murdered on Oct. 30, 2022. Morena Castaneda, police said, has not been seen or heard from since her death.

YANES FAMILY STATEMENT

Arlington Police Det. Krystallyne Robinson read a statement from Yanes' family during a news conference Wednesday. That statement is below.

"Evila Yanes was a kind and good mother who was taken far too soon. She did everything for her children. She has two grandkids who continue to ask about her. The days since her death have been very hard for us and will only get more difficult with the holidays approaching. We need justice. Please, if you have information, call Arlington Police."

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call 817-459-5935. Tipsters can also remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers of Tarrant County at 817-469-8477 and could be eligible for a reward. Report # 2022-03030122.

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