The discovery along Highway 380 comes as authorities search for her estranged husband, who is wanted on a murder warrant.
DENTON, TX — Volunteers searching for a missing Denton mother found her wallet along Highway 380 nearly three weeks after she disappeared, providing a new potential clue as police and federal authorities continue looking for her estranged husband on a murder warrant.
Marjulin Daiuru Briceño Arrieta, 42, was last seen Sept. 28 after meeting her estranged husband, 49-year-old Richard Pastor Perez, at his apartment in Denton, according to police. Investigators have said evidence gathered in the case led them to believe Perez killed Briceño Arrieta. Her body has not been found, and Perez remained at large as authorities continued searching for him.
A private investigator and volunteers searched Saturday in areas they believed could be connected to the disappearance. They found Briceño Arrieta’s wallet along Highway 380, private investigator Alfonso Solis told FOX 4. Solis said the items recovered during the search were turned over to law enforcement. Authorities had not publicly disclosed the precise location where the wallet was found or explained what significance, if any, investigators believe it may have to the case.
Solis described the wallet as the first significant physical discovery made by the volunteer search effort since Briceño Arrieta disappeared. “This is the first clue that we have,” he said. Denton police told FOX 4 on Sunday that the department had no new information to release about the discovery. Police have not publicly said whether the wallet has been confirmed through forensic testing or what additional examination may be conducted.
Briceño Arrieta’s family reported her missing after she met Perez at about 6:45 p.m. Sept. 28 at his apartment in the 1900 block of North Ruddell Street, according to the Denton Police Department. Police said relatives became concerned when they could not reach either Briceño Arrieta or Perez. The department said the family was particularly worried about her safety because of a reported history of abuse by Perez.
Investigators later found Briceño Arrieta’s vehicle abandoned near Perez’s apartment. Perez’s white 2013 Ford Escape was gone, and detectives determined that a license plate had been switched, police said. Investigators entered the plate number into the Flock license-plate reader system and traced the SUV west from North Texas in the hours and days after Briceño Arrieta was last seen.
Police said the Ford Escape was detected on U.S. Highway 287 in Wichita Falls at about 9 p.m. Sept. 28. Another camera recorded it in Donley County, southeast of Amarillo, shortly after 1 a.m. Sept. 29. At 10:44 p.m. that day, the vehicle was recorded traveling west on Interstate 40 west of Amarillo, according to Denton police.
Albuquerque police later located the SUV in New Mexico after receiving an alert tied to the license plate. Investigators obtained surveillance video showing the vehicle arriving at an Albuquerque hotel Sept. 30, Denton police said. A man matching Perez’s description was seen getting out of the vehicle before it was abandoned in the parking lot. Police said no one else was seen with him in the video.
Based on evidence recovered during the investigation, Denton detectives obtained an arrest warrant accusing Perez of murder. Police have not publicly detailed all of the evidence supporting that warrant, and Perez has not been arrested or convicted in the case. Authorities also have not announced that Briceño Arrieta’s remains have been recovered.
The Denton Police Department and FBI Dallas continue searching for Perez and Briceño Arrieta. Denton County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to Perez’s arrest. As of Sunday evening, authorities had not announced an arrest or released additional findings concerning the wallet recovered along Highway 380.
Author note: Last updated October 18, 2026.