UPDATE: A Dallas County grand jury indicted three people on murder charges in connection with the death of 23-year-old Marisela Botello-Valadez, whose body was found in Dallas on March 24, five months after she went missing when she traveled from Seattle last October, according to the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office.
Charles Anthony Beltran, 32; Nina Tamar Marano, 49; and Lisa Jo Dykes, 58, who each face a murder charge in connection with her death, were indicted on June 16, 2021.
Cell phone records place Marisela at the same Mesquite, Texas home as Beltran, Marano and Dykes at the time she was last “known to be alive,” according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
The records also show the phones belonging to Dykes and Marano traveled on the night of October 5 to the area where Marisela’s body was later found.
During a search of the Mesquite home where Beltran and Dykes lived, police found carpet in the bedroom that appeared to have blood stains, which were later determined to be a DNA match for Marisela.
Original story:
In early October, Marisela Botello took a Lyft alone to a popular entertainment district in Dallas, Texas. It was the last time anyone saw her.
Marisela’s family told Dateline that the 23-year-old left her home in Seattle, Washington on October 2, and traveled to Dallas to visit her ex-boyfriend for the weekend.
“She was scheduled to fly back to Seattle that Monday,” said Marisela’s aunt, Dennesly Castillo. “But she never made the flight. And she hasn’t returned home.”
Marisela was last seen on the last night of her trip - Sunday, October 4. Dennesly told Dateline that her niece wanted to go out for her last night, but her ex-boyfriend wanted to stay home. So Marisela took a Lyft alone to Deep Ellum, a popular nightlife area in Dallas.
When Marisela didn’t return to her ex-boyfriend's house that night, Dennesly said he became worried and called her parents. Her belongings, except for her cell phone and debit card, were still there. When she missed her flight home to Seattle, the family knew something was wrong.
“She’s an avid traveler and she’s always in contact with someone,” Dennesly said of her niece, who lives with her parents in Seattle. “She wouldn’t just miss a flight or cut all communication like this.”
Dennesly and Marisela’s father traveled to Dallas where they filed a missing person’s report with the Dallas Police Department and started searching.
Dennesly said they were able to access Marisela’s email, along with her social media and bank accounts. They discovered a Lyft receipt showing she was dropped off on Elm Street in the Deep Ellum area just after midnight on Monday, Oct. 5.
Dennesly said they obtained security video from outside the Select Start bar which shows who they believe to be Marisela leaving the bar with an unknown man. The time stamp was 1:15 a.m., she added.
“I was also able to get into her Snap Chat account and see her camera roll,” Dennesly told Dateline. “There’s a picture of her in a purple dress from that night-- the same dress in the surveillance video.”
She said the family believes the man in the video is the key to finding Marisela.
Dallas Police have not verified the tape and Detective Ryan Dalby would not release further details about Marisela’s disappearance, but did tell Dateline “detectives are currently investigating all workable leads and communicating with Ms. Botello’s family.”
Dennesly told Dateline that according to her niece’s T-Mobile account, her cell phone was last used around 4 a.m. on October 5. It hasn't been used since.
“That to me is a huge red flag,” Dennesly said. “She’s 23 and hasn't used her phone for social media or texts or anything in three weeks? It makes no sense. We’re just really worried that something happened to her.”
Detective Dalby told Dateline that the public is urged to call police if they have any information about Marisela’s whereabouts.
Marisela is 5’2” tall, weighs 115 pounds and has brown eyes and brown hair. She was last seen wearing a metallic purple dress.
If you have any information, please contact the Dallas Police Department’s missing person’s unit at (214) 671-4268 or email missingpersons@dpd.dallascityhall.com. Marisela’s case number is #177834-2020.