On Saturday, July 10, 2021, at about 8:30 P.M., Eudelia Gonzalez Rojas was seen by family members getting into a vehicle with an unknown person and driving away from her residence. Eudelia didn’t return home on Saturday night, so family members became concerned because she was not responding to telephone calls. The family eventually reported her missing to the Oxnard Police Department on Sunday night, July 11, 2021.
DATE: July 16, 2021, 12:50 P.M.
SUBJECT: Body of Missing Person Located
VICTIM: Eudelia Gonzalez Rojas, 46 years old
SUSPECT: Josefino Cayetano Maldonado, 41 years old
CONTACT: Scott Aaron, Sergeant
(805) 385-7756 | [email protected]
A detailed follow-up investigation was conducted by the Missing Persons Unit and Detectives from the Oxnard Police Department. Detectives obtained evidence that upgraded this case to suspicious circumstances instead of voluntary missing.
On Thursday, July 15, 2021, Detectives from the Oxnard Police Department served a search warrant on a residence in Salinas, California. This residence belonged to the victim’s ex-husband, Josefino Cayetano Maldonado. Josefino Cayetano Maldonado was interviewed by detectives and confessed to killing his ex-wife, Eudelia Gonzalez Rojas in Ventura County but disposed of her body in Santa Barbara County. Detectives are still processing the area where she was murdered. The killing of Ms. Rojas did not take place within the City of Oxnard. Maldonado provided the unincorporated area of the killing to the police at the time of his interview.
The body of Ms. Rojas was located down an embankment in the area of the US 101 Freeway, North of the Gaviota Tunnel in Santa Barbara County. Detectives requested the assistance of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team to recover the body of Ms. Rojas.
Maldonado was booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility Roajs’ murder and a bail amount of $500,000.
This investigation is still ongoing at the time of this news release.
The City of Oxnard offers a reward of $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of individuals responsible for committing homicides within the City.
Investigators are asking the public to come forward if anyone has witnessed this incident. The public is asked to contact Detective Chip Buttell (805) 385-7688 or Detecitve Michael McManama (805) 385-7662.
Anyone with information regarding this case or other criminal activity is encouraged to contact the Oxnard Police Department at (805) 385-7600, or online via the Oxnard Police Department’s website: www.oxnardpd.org, and clicking on Report Suspicious Activity. You can remain anonymous if you choose to do so. You can also remain anonymous by calling the Ventura County Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. You can also visit this site: www.venturacountycrimestoppers.org to submit a tip via text or email.
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