LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. — Bethany Decker's former boyfriend Ronald Roldan has been charged with 2nd-degree murder in connection with her disappearance in 2011, according to the Loudoun County Police Department.
The 40-year-old Roldan was charged on Monday with the murder charge, according to authorities.
The disappearance of Bethany Decker has mystified investigators in Loudoun County for nine years. But in early November, authorities announced a major development in the case: prosecutors are charging Decker's former boyfriend with abduction.
It is not known at this time what evidence or communication with Roldan by police led to the murder charge against him.
Loudoun County deputies brought Ronald Roldan back to Virginia from North Carolina, where he had been serving time there for attacking another woman.
Decker was a 21-year-old student at George Mason University who was reportedly five months pregnant when she disappeared on Jan. 29, 2011, according to Loudoun County authorities. Despite extensive searches and a major investigation, she has never been found.
"As we move forward with a warrant for arrest surrounding the disappearance of Bethany Anne Decker, our detectives are determined to find justice for Bethany and her family," Sheriff Mike Chapman said in a written statement back in early November.
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