Investigators cited a 911 call, neighbor accounts and a custodial interview after Vanesa Rodrigues-Valdes was found dead.
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — A Las Vegas husband accused of killing his wife gave police a chain of statements that now sits at the center of an open murder case, according to investigators and court reports.
Roelmer Sanchez-Garrido, 38, was arrested after Vanesa Rodrigues-Valdes was found dead early April 28 inside a home on Esmeralda Avenue in central Las Vegas. Police say the couple had argued over whether their 2-year-old daughter would be raised in Cuba or remain in the United States. The case began with Sanchez-Garrido’s own call to 911 and grew through later statements to a neighbor, a patrol officer and homicide detectives.
The first statement came through dispatch. Sanchez-Garrido called around 3 a.m. and asked for medical help for his wife, saying she was injured, according to the arrest report. He then clarified that she was not breathing. That call brought Las Vegas Fire and Rescue paramedics to the home, where they found Sanchez-Garrido in the front yard with the couple’s daughter. He was pacing, police said. The child was not the person needing medical care, but her presence became part of the scene that responders encountered before they entered the home.
The second scene was inside. Paramedics found Rodrigues-Valdes lying on the floor with a blanket over her face and body. When they pulled it back, they saw bruises on her face and neck and early signs of rigor mortis. Rodrigues-Valdes was pronounced dead at 3:17 a.m. Because the death appeared unnatural, paramedics asked police to respond. The first officer to arrive also viewed the marks on her neck as suspicious. What had started as a report of an injured woman became a homicide response, and patrol officers contacted the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s homicide section.
Police said Sanchez-Garrido then made a statement at the home. He told an officer he and Rodrigues-Valdes had been arguing because she wanted to take their daughter back to Cuba. He said “something bad happened” during that argument, according to police. Lt. Robert Price later described the preliminary findings in plain terms, saying the argument became physical and resulted in Rodrigues-Valdes’ death. Police did not release the full body camera record, the full 911 audio or a verbatim transcript of the first officer’s interview, but they included the substance of Sanchez-Garrido’s account in the arrest report.
A neighbor gave police another statement that put Sanchez-Garrido outside before the emergency call. The neighbor said he woke around 2 a.m. after hearing someone banging on his window. He found Sanchez-Garrido outside a security gate and did not open it. Still, the neighbor said, the men spoke. Police said Sanchez-Garrido handed over two containers filled with jewelry and phone numbers for two family members. The neighbor told investigators Sanchez-Garrido said he had done something “very bad” and asked him to call 911. Investigators also reviewed video from the neighbor’s exterior cameras after the neighbor provided access.
Another neighbor’s statement gave police background on the family dispute. That neighbor said Rodrigues-Valdes had asked for help hiding the family’s passports earlier on April 28 so Sanchez-Garrido could not get to them. The neighbor told investigators Rodrigues-Valdes wanted to return to Cuba and raise the couple’s daughter there, while Sanchez-Garrido wanted to stay in the United States and continue working. Police also learned that Rodrigues-Valdes had secretly recorded Sanchez-Garrido during an argument on April 21 and said she wanted to end the relationship. Authorities have not made the recording public.
After his arrest, Sanchez-Garrido was taken to police headquarters for questioning. Detectives said he repeated that he and Rodrigues-Valdes had argued about returning to Cuba. He said she told him she was leaving while their daughter slept. During the argument, police said, Sanchez-Garrido became upset, grabbed Rodrigues-Valdes by the throat and squeezed. He said he did not remember what happened after that, then saw she had stopped breathing and had fallen. Police said he told detectives he tried to perform CPR but could not revive her.
Investigators said Sanchez-Garrido also explained why Rodrigues-Valdes was under the blanket when paramedics found her. He told detectives he took a blanket from the couch and covered her body so their daughter would not see what had happened. That detail connected his interview to the condition of the scene. It also gave prosecutors a statement about his actions after the alleged strangulation and before emergency crews arrived. Police have not said how much time passed between the physical struggle, the reported CPR attempt, the visit to the neighbor and the 911 call.
The legal case moved quickly after officers arrived. Sanchez-Garrido was booked on one count of open murder and held at the Clark County Detention Center. At an initial appearance, a judge found probable cause for the arrest and ordered him held without bail. Spanish-language coverage reported that he needed an interpreter during the hearing. A later court date was set for May 4. Prosecutors will have to decide how to use the defendant’s alleged statements alongside the coroner’s findings, witness accounts, video evidence and any recordings recovered from the couple’s earlier arguments.
Several facts remained publicly unresolved by May 22. Police had not released the complete autopsy finding, a full account of the child’s placement, the entire neighbor video or the complete interview transcript. The defendant’s age also appeared differently in some early reports, though the police department identified him as 38. The murder count remains the controlling charge, and the next steps are expected in Clark County court as attorneys test the statements and physical evidence that formed the case.
Author note: Last updated May 22, 2026.