Cary police say woman's death was murder

Arnulfo Cobos

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


Golo

Welcome to GOLO, where WRAL.com visitors can comment on stories and create profile pages, blogs and photo galleries.

You must be a registered WRAL.com user to use these tools. Click here to register or log in.

View Comments View Comments

Ask Anything
  1. Nicholas Sparks
    10 questions with Nicholas Sparks

    Author Nicholas Sparks answers your questions about battling writer's block and writing romantic story lines.

  2. John Paul Womble
    10 questions with John Paul Womble - The Alliance of AIDS Services

    John Paul Womble answers your questions about contracting AIDS and myths surrounding the disease.

  3. Cam Ward
    10 questions with Hurricanes' Goalie Cam Ward

    Cam Ward answers your questions about winning the Stanley Cup, superstitions on game days and smack talk on the ice.

Multimedia
  1. 49th Annual WRAL-TV Tower Lighting_01
    49th Annual WRAL-TV Tower Lighting

    WRAL-TV's tower has been changed into a 300-foot Christmas tree, with 2,805 colored lights and three stars on Monday, Dec. 1, 2008.

  2. Drought Map
    A year of N.C. Drought Maps

    View a time lapse animation of drought conditions during the last year.

  3. APTOPIX ROMANIA WEATHER
    The week in photos

    A look at the top news, politics and sports stories of the week through the lenses of Associated Press photographers.

  4. APTOPIX Holiday Shopping
    Gallery: Black Friday shopping

    A look at shoppers across the country on Black Friday.

  5. 2008_American_Music_Awards_Arrivals
    The week in entertainment

    A look at the top entertainment stories this week through the lenses of Associated Press photographers.