His mother has been missing 5 weeks. He’s the 3rd relative charged with her murder
A Richland man has been formally charged with helping kill his mother inside a rural Franklin County home.
Carlos Torres Rodriguez, 31, is scheduled to appear in Franklin County Superior Court on Tuesday to enter a plea to first-degree murder.
The charging document says Torres Rodriguez, with premeditated intent, caused the death of Estela Torres Rodriguez by assisting his father and brother.
However, the murder charge is filed with the alternative option that he assisted in robbing his mother and she died as that crime was being committed. Her body has yet to be found.
Brother and father still wanted
Carlos Torres Rodriguez — who initially was named as Carlos Rodriguez Torres — is in jail with $1 million bail.
His father Tiburcio Larios Rodriguez, 63, and brother Clemente Rodriguez Torres, 33, are still wanted.
The two Prosser men are believed to have fled to Mexico in the days after Estela went missing.
Both men also are charged with first-degree murder, and have nationwide arrest warrants with $1 million bail.
Missing since March 28
The 54-year-old grandmother has not been seen since the morning of March 28.
Investigators have said she likely was killed inside the house at 140 Orchard Road near Pasco, based on three large blood stains discovered on the living room carpet, along with other evidence including her clothes and jewelry in the garbage.
They believe her body was left somewhere in north Franklin County, possibly around the Connell area, but have been unable to find her so far after numerous searches on the ground and by air.
Her abandoned SUV was located the following week at a Highway 395 rest stop.
Refused to reconcile
Estela and her husband of 30 years separated in February, but family members say he wanted to reunite and she refused.
Her husband begged Carlos Torres Rodriguez to talk to her but she still refused to reconcile, documents said.
Helped get mother alone
Prosecutors allege Carlos Torres Rodriguez got another brother and his girlfriend to leave the house for breakfast, then delayed their return. That gave the two alleged killers time to confront Estela and then clean up, say investigators.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of either Estela Torres Rodriguez or the two wanted suspects is asked to call the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office at 509-545-3501 during business hours or dispatch at 509-628-0333.
Call 911 if it is an emergency.
This story was originally published May 6, 2019 at 7:01 PM.