An “undocumented” man was arrested in the slaying of a Texas high school cheerleader who was found dead in her bathtub last week after missing an event with her squad, police said Sunday.
Rafael Govea Romero was nabbed Saturday in the small city of Schulenburg, Tx. and charged with the murder of 16-year-old Lizbeth Medina in Edna, about 75 miles away, cops said in a statement.
Edna Police Chief Rick Boone said his department and the Texas Rangers caught the “undocumented male subject” after spending “countless hours” on the case, but officials did not reveal the circumstances of the killing, or say if Romero and Medina knew each other.
The teenager was found dead in her home on Dec. 5 by her mother, after failing to march in a Christmas parade with the rest of her high school squad, according to local reports.
The slain girl’s mom, Jacqueline Medina, told KAVU-TV last week that she had discovered Lizbeth in the bathtub of the apartment they shared in the small town in between Houston and San Antonio.
Lizbeth Medina’s body was found in her bathtub by her mother. ABC 13Jacqueline told the outlet she believed her daughter’s murder was tied to a recent break-in at their unit.
“There was no laced drugs, there was nothing like that. My daughter was found in a way that no mother should ever find their child,” Medina told the station.
“Someone hurt my child, someone took my child from me.”
Police had released security footage of the suspect, who was wearing a black “Volcom” sweatshirt and had a distinctive tattoo behind his right ear.
The security footage released by the police shows a young man that resembles the suspect, Rafael Govea Romero. Edna Texas Police Department/Facebook
Rafael Govea Romero was picked up by police on Saturday. Edna Texas Police Department/FacebookThe pictures appeared to match the mugshot of Romero, who was pictured with thick dark hair and sporting a beard sans moustache.
A 23-year-old man by the same name was on probation after being arrested by Schulenburg police for an unspecified second-degree felony, court records show.
“Although Romero is apprehended, we recognize Lizabeth’s family and friends are grieving and still need support from the community,” Boone said in the statement.
“The citizens of Edna can now sleep in peace.”






