A man has been arrested in connection with the deaths of two female neighbors who disappeared from their Arkansas homes earlier this year.
Denise Rhodes and Robyn DeSort, both from the Bauxite area of Saline County, went missing in mid-July, and their remains were discovered on a property in the same county in September.
On Thursday, the Saline County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Michael Robert Weser, who lived near the property where the two women’s remains were discovered.
Weser has been charged with several felonies, including two counts of capital murder, abuse of a corpse, and arson.
According to the sheriff’s office, on July 12, deputies responded to a fire at Rhodes’ home. She went missing after the fire was extinguished. In the days that followed, her family officially reported her missing, along with her neighbor DeSort.
During the investigation, detectives discovered DeSort’s vehicle, a white GMC Yukon, abandoned on an ATV trail near Rhodes’ property. Interviews, phone records, and financial transactions linked Weser to both women before they disappeared.
The sheriff’s office said that additional evidence linked him to the abandoned vehicle and other items discovered near his home.
On September 7, human remains were discovered on property near Weser’s home, and DNA analysis confirmed that they belonged to Rhodes and DeSort. Following confirmation, a warrant was obtained, and Weser was arrested three days later, on September 10.
“This has been an extensive and difficult investigation,” said Saline County Sheriff Rodney Wright, who expressed gratitude to the community and the various law enforcement agencies involved in the case.
The motive in the case has not been revealed, and police have not stated whether there is a connection between the suspect and the two victims.
Investigations are still ongoing.
