In a chilling case out of Orlando, Florida, a woman who reported her roommate missing has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and grand theft. The investigation into the disappearance of 32-year-old Rooney Leady Medina Pacho has revealed a disturbing series of events that led police to suspect her 39-year-old roommate, Jazelle Victoria Gonzalez.
On December 27, 2022, Gonzalez called authorities to report that her roommate had been missing since Christmas Day. She claimed she last heard from Rooney on Christmas Eve and that the two had a heated argument a week prior, allegedly over $3,000 that Rooney believed Gonzalez had taken. This dispute reportedly escalated tensions between the two Dominican Republic natives.
As police began their investigation, they discovered that Rooney’s family had not heard from her, which was unusual. Rooney’s mother told detectives that when she called her daughter on Christmas Day, an aggressive unknown woman answered, stating Rooney could not come to the phone before hanging up. Investigators tracked Rooney’s phone movements, which aligned suspiciously with Gonzalez’s whereabouts.
The plot thickened further when authorities discovered that the day before Rooney was reported missing, Gonzalez had purchased a chainsaw, trash bags, rubber gloves, and dish soap at local stores. This alarming detail raised immediate red flags for investigators.
In February 2023, police brought Gonzalez in for further questioning. During the interview, her inconsistencies began to unravel as detectives confronted her with evidence, including the location of Rooney’s phone and surveillance footage from the stores she visited. Despite initially denying knowledge of her roommate’s whereabouts, Gonzalez eventually admitted to having Rooney’s phone but claimed she had misplaced it.
As the investigation progressed, a search warrant was executed at Gonzalez’s apartment. The search revealed dried blood throughout the residence, later confirmed to belong to Rooney. Forensic experts determined that the blood spatter was consistent with a violent encounter.
After months of digging into the case, police tracked Gonzalez down in Hartford, Connecticut, in early 2024. During this encounter, investigators confronted her about the missing surveillance footage from her apartment, which conveniently covered the timeframe of Rooney’s disappearance. Gonzalez’s story continued to shift, and she ultimately admitted to engaging in a physical altercation with Rooney, contradicting her earlier claims.
Despite the mounting evidence against her, including disturbing online searches related to body disposal and trash management in Orlando, Gonzalez has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Court records indicate she is expected to return to court later this winter. Meanwhile, Rooney remains missing, intensifying the sense of urgency surrounding the case as investigators continue to seek justice for her family.
