Dallas PD arrest Clinton Smith for murder of woman found in tarp

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) -  The body of a woman found wrapped in a plastic tarp on the side of a Dallas street was just recently identified as Juanita Rodriguez. Today police have arrested the person who they say murdered her.

Homicide detectives with the Dallas Police Department arrested Clinton Smith. The 65-year-old is currently being held in the Dallas County Jail.

On April 20 the body of Rodriguez was found in Dallas -- in the 3000 block of South Ledbetter Drive. Initially police had called the death unexplained, but after an autopsy determined the 54-year-old woman died from a gunshot wound the manner of death was changed to murder and hunt began for her killer.

Rodriguez's family had reported her missing out of Duncanville on April 18. While they police that the woman had left her house on April 15 and had not returned, family members also said that Rodriguez was known to leave and be gone for days at a time.

One day after the family reached out to authorities police in Dallas contacted Duncanville PD to let them know Rodriguez's car had been found abandoned in their city along Navy Avenue. Concerns about Rodriguez grew after police learned she had not showed up for work for several days. It was at that time that Rodriguez was entered into the missing person database.  

As for the arrest in the case, Dallas police have only said that Smith was arrested and is in custody. So far, officials haven't said if or how he and Rodriguez knew each other and have given no motive for the murder.

As of Friday morning bond for Smith had not been set.