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'Dateline' revisits a abnormal case that leads to the homicide of 2 girls, many years apart. What happened to Pamela Butler? Here's what we know.

In a violent courting, the most terrifying time comes when the sufferer attempts to depart their abusive spouse. By that point, the cycle of abuse most certainly escalated from emotional to bodily, with the remaining straw coming when the spouse at the receiving finish tries to break free.

While we do not know if Pamela Butler was once in an abusive relationship with the person who in the long run killed her, we do know she was murdered when she attempted to finish issues. What happened to Pamela Butler? A brand new Dateline special revisits her story.

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What happened to Pamela Butler?

In 2009, 47-year-old Pamela Butler was working on the Environmental Protection Agency as an IT specialist in Washington, D.C. Like many of us, she used to be a long way too busy to find a courting the "old-fashioned way," so she took to the web. That's when she met Jose Rodriguez-Cruz thru a web-based courting web page.

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Things appeared to be going easily; the couple even had plans to rejoice Valentine's Day on Feb. 12. Earlier that day, Pamela called her mom to let her know Rodriguez-Cruz was once taking her out for a romantic dinner. Unfortunately, that dinner never happened, and when Pamela's mother hadn't heard from her daughter tomorrow, she used to be concerned. She and her son Derrick, Pamela's brother, went over to Pamela's area to check on her and what they discovered was a area completely torn apart.

Pamela was recognized for her neatness, however the status of her home went a long way past a messy area. In her room, her sheets were missing however her comforter used to be on a chair. Folders in her workplace had been strewn about and the strangest part was once, her handbag and keys were still in the home. Security cameras out of doors showed Pamela getting her mail and letting Rodriguez-Cruz into her space on Feb. 12. He got here and went 3 separate times because, in accordance to him, when puzzled by means of police, they broke up the next day to come.

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In August 2016, Pamela's circle of relatives made the incredibly difficult determination to claim her legally dead. Sadly, they'd no leads during the seven years since she disappeared. Her brother Derrick is the only person who could not let things go. He was satisfied Rodriguez-Cruz had something to do with it, however he couldn't figure out how to prove it. That's when crucial spoil within the case happened.

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What led government to Jose Rodriguez-Cruz?

In 2017, native police learned that Rodriguez-Cruz's first wife, Marta Rodriguez, had disappeared in 1989 from Arlington County, Virginia. It looked like an excessive amount of of a twist of fate that one guy could be connected to the mysterious disappearance of two ladies, a long time aside. They arrested Rodriguez-Cruz in 2017 in accordance with this connection, but in addition due to circumstantial proof they didn't unencumber to the general public.

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According to The Washington Post, "He [Rodriguez-Cruz] eventually admitted he had strangled her [Pamela Butler]." At this point, he led police to where he buried Pamela's body, along Interstate I-95, however they had been not able to locate it because it had since been dug up for development. In that same space, police found stays in 1991 that had been later known via DNA in 2018 to be that of Marta Rodriguez, his first spouse.

Rodriguez-Cruz used to be already serving 12 years in jail for the homicide of Pamela Butler when it used to be came upon he was also answerable for the demise of Marta Rodriguez. In April 2021, he used to be sentenced to Forty years in jail for the homicide of Marta however, according to Fox 5 DC, had to go back to West Virginia to complete his sentence for Pamela's murder. Dateline is returning to this tale which is able to no doubt expose extra details.

Dateline's A Haunting Stretch of Road airs Friday March 18 at 9:00 p.m. EST on NBC.

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