From Missing to Murdered: A Decade-Long Case

Bethany Decker called the Carrabba's Grill in Centreville, VA, where she worked as a server. She called at 2:08 pm on January 29, 2011, to get her schedule and an extra shift that evening; however,Decker never showed up.This absence was unusual for her. Decker also stopped attending classes at George Mason University, where she was finishing her final semester for a degree in global and economic change.

Messages kept sending from Decker's Facebook account. Authorities and the public later learned Decker did not write these messages; this made friends and family think she was safe.

Decker's husband, Emile Decker, served in the Army National Guard and was stationed in Afghanistan before Decker disappeared. He recently returned home on leave, and the couple traveled to Hawaii to patch up their marriage.Their marriage had become strained. They took Kai, their 17-month-old son, on the trip, even though he usually lived with Decker's mother while Decker attended college full-time.Decker and her husband became strained. They also took Kai, their 17-month-old son, on the trip. Kai usually lived with Decker's mother while Decker attended college full-time.

The Deckers returned from their vacation on January 28, 2011, one day before Bethany Decker went missing. Emile Decker stayed with his parents after his return. When he went to the airport to Afghanistan days later, his wife was not there to see him off. Her absence seemed not suspicious given their marriage status then.

Before she disappeared, Decker started dating Ronald Roldan. The two shared an apartment where only Decker's name appeared on the lease.

According to Roldan, onRoldan said that when he returned home, Decker was gone. Police questioned Roldan's story because he could not describe what Decker wore that day or other basic details., he talked to her before leaving the apartment to get cash from an ATM. While he was gone, he texted Decker at 4:01 pm and 4:31 pm. He told her his two children, from an ex-girlfriend, would stay with them for a few days. Decker never replied to these texts.

When Roldan's ex-girlfriend came to get her kids a few days after the 29th, she reportedly asked where Decker was. When Roldan said he did not know, his ex noted Decker's car remained in the parking lot, yet Roldan appeared unconcerned.

Police searched Decker's apartment at Orchard Grass Terrace in Ashburn, VA, after she went missing. Police found Decker's car in the parking lot and no forced entry. Investigators found Decker's cellphone, wallet, passport, credit cards, and other personal items inside. Everything looked normal; there was no sign of a struggle.

A few days after the 29th, Roldan's ex-girlfriend came to get her kids. She reportedlyasked where Decker was. When Roldan said he did not know, his ex observed that Decker's car remained in the parking lot, but Roldan appeared unconcerned.

Investigators got a search warrant for Roldan's mother's home and found the keys to Decker's car there.

Bethany Decker's Facebook account remained active. In early February 2011, Roldan sent messages to Decker via her Facebook page. Emile Decker and a friend both found these messages suspicious..

The person writing the messages could not give details about the Hawaii trip the Decker family returned from days before. They also could not offer other life facts Decker certainly knew.

Investigators ran an IP address search in 2020. This search showed the messages came from Ronald Roldan's computer days after Decker was last seen.

Decker had heavy work and school schedules. Her family did not worry initially when she stopped texting or calling. They did not report her missing until three weeks after she disappeared.

Decker's grandparents visited her apartment. They found her car still in the parking lot and her belongings left behind. Decker's grandmother said, “We just had a feeling. We were concerned.”Decker's grandmother told reporters afterwards..

Authorities noted that Decker's car keys were missing. This seemed odd since the car sat in the parking lot, untouched, for weeks.

Roldan began abusing Decker in their short time together. The mistreatment escalated. Decker told her family about the situation. She shared that Roldan held car keys and said he would “cut her open”.cut her open..

Decker's mother, Kimberly Nelson, told her daughter, “Just walk away from, whatever it is, just walk away.” Nelson remembered Decker replying, “No, he'll never let it go.” Decker and her mother planned an escape plan before she went missing.

Some claim Decker was pregnant with Roldan's child, not her husband's, when she disappeared. Some sources say she was five months pregnant. Her mother argues she was only three months along.Only three months passed..

A few years after Bethany Decker went missing, Ronald Roldan faced charges for an attempted murder.attempted murderRoldan was charged with attempting to murder his then-girlfriend, Vickey Willoughby, in 2014 at her North Carolina home. Roldan was accused of beating Willoughby, then shooting her three times. She ended up with a broken neck and lost one eye.

Investigators had enough proof to convict Roldan, but the attempted murder charges dropped because the search warrant for Roldan's home seemed too wide. Roldan later pleaded guilty in 2016 to assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and causing serious bodily injury. A North Carolina prison sentenced him to six to eight years; he could be deported to Bolivia after serving time.

Roldan attacked Willoughby in 2014. Following that, she told authorities she suspected he was involved.Decker disappeared.Willoughby said, “He just told me he can make people disappear.” After Roldan's arrest, she said Roldan told her, “I better be quiet and I better not go to the police.”

Willoughby added.She said, “My biggest fear if he gets out is him coming to get me. Next time he tries to kill me, he'll succeed.” Willoughby was upset the attempted murder charges were dropped and said she would keep fighting for justice. She later appeared on theDr. Phil ShowShe told her story.

In November 2020, Ronald Roldan finished his sentence for attacking Vickey Willoughby. Instead of returning to Bolivia,Roldan was extradited.from North Carolina to Virginia on abduction charges for Decker. Being found guilty of abduction in Virginia means up to a 10-year prison sentence.

Only one month later, Roldan faced second-degree murder charges in Decker's case. While Roldan's lawyers asked for bail before his trial started, a Virginia judge ruled Roldanwas too riskyto get bail.

Roldan's first trial was set for August 2021, then moved to February 14, 2022. That date moved again when the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office released 60,000 files to Roldan's defense team just weeks before the trial began. After many delays, Roldan's trial started January 30, 2023, one day after the 12-year anniversary of Bethany Anne Decker's disappearance.

During the search for Bethany Decker, her husband, Emile Decker, reportedly helped the authorities. When Decker first went missing, Emile was sent back to the United States. Authorities questioned him andran a polygraph test, but whether he passed remains unknown.

Emile Decker eventually took his son and divorced Bethany years after she vanished. The United States Army's Criminal Investigation Command also conducted aA federal investigation pursued this.into Emile and any part he might have played in Bethany Decker's disappearance. In 2021, Ronald Roldan's defense team tried to get Emile's military records.

Ronald Roldan pleaded guilty.He pleaded guilty.to second-degree murder charges in November 2022. A statement from Loudon County officials said Commonwealth Attorney Buta BiberajHe stated this.:

Loudoun County and our office offer deepest condolences to Bethany Decker's family. We thank them for their patience and support. Detective Mark Bush and the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office made efforts. Our offices spent thousands of hours, including nights and weekends, building the best case. This case led to this resolution. We bring justice for Bethany.

The court set Roldan's sentencing for February 21, 2023.

On February 20, 2023, 42-year-old Ronald Roldan received a 12-and-a-half-year prison sentence after pleading guilty toRoldan murdered Bethany Decker.After 12 years, Decker's friends and family learned the upsetting details of what happened to her.

Roldan said he made a plea deal for less time. Roldan started fighting Decker after she mentioned picking up an extra shift. Roldan reportedly pushed Decker in the back, making her fall. Roldan claimed DeckerRoldan hit her head.on a windowsill during the fall, and she stopped breathing afterward.

Roldan did not call 911. Instead, Roldan stuffed Decker's body into a large plastic bag for Christmas trees. He then put Decker's body into their apartment complex's trash compactor.

On Roldan's sentencing day, Decker's family read victim impact statements. Decker's mother, Kimberly Nelson, stated, “The night before Bethany was murdered, she called me and said, 'Mom, I love you,' was the last thing she told me.”