Cary police say woman's death was murder

Cary, N.C. — Police ruled that the death of a 29-year-old woman, whose body was found by her roommates Saturday morning, was a homicide after they received preliminary autopsy results Sunday.

Officers named Arnulfo Barron Cobos as a suspect in the death of Maria Teresa Herrera-Diaz. Cobos is Herrera-Diaz's common-law husband, police said.

"Our focus in this very sad case is to find Mr. Cobos," police Chief Pat Bazemore said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Maria's family as we work to bring a certain resolution to this terrible tragedy."

Herrera-Diaz's roommates found her dead in her residence at 102 Dunhagen Place. The cause of her death has not been released.

Police described Cobos as an Hispanic man, about 50 years old, standing 5 feet 6 to 7 inches tall and weighing 200 pounds. In a picture distributed by police, he has a mustache, and police said he also has a goatee.

Investigators believe Cobos left Herrera-Diaz's home between 4:15 a.m. and 5:15 a.m. Saturday. He was driving a stolen silver 2004 Saturn L-300, with North Carolina license plate number XWT-5469.

Cobos did not report to work at the LaTapita Supermarket in Raleigh as scheduled, and his whereabouts were unknown, police said.

Anyone with information related to this incident should call the Cary Police Department Watch Commander at 919-469-4016.

5 Comments

WRAL.com welcomes your comments on this story. All comments are moderated prior to publication based on our posting guidelines. Please review them prior to posting and if your message is not approved.

5 COMMENTS

This story is closed for comments. Comments on WRAL.com news stories are accepted and moderated between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Latest Comments

Teresa worked with me, it was so sad to hear the news from her friends at work, everyone who knew her was touched by her bright smile. It is very sad and very distrubing to know someone who was murdered. My thoughts and prays go out to Teresa's children, family, friends and the many Latinos who leave their families and friends in Latin America and move north for work. Thanks to NAFTA Mexican women are paid about 5 dollars a day in Mexico, while major corps. profit from the slave labor of these South American people. It is no wonder South American people risk their lives, and leave their families for a better lie in America.

chattrj
September 8, 2008 8:26 p.m.

Tell the cops to look to the south-west for this man

dplowman
September 8, 2008 1:47 p.m.

So much for the tax cuts in Cary this year. They are going to have to hire more cops to handle their TWO active murder investigations.