SAPD arrest man who allegedly killed wife in 1999 and buried her in the backyard

Roy Hernandez, 53, was arrested Wednesday in connection with the slaying of his former wife, whose body was found buried in his backyard in 2006. Roy Hernandez, 53, was arrested Wednesday in connection with the slaying of his former wife, whose body was found buried in his backyard in 2006. Photo: Caleb Downs Photo: Caleb Downs Image 1 of / 45 Caption Close SAPD arrest man who allegedly killed wife in 1999 and buried her in the backyard 1 / 45 Back to Gallery

San Antonio police on Wednesday arrested a 53-year-old man in connection with a cold case killing that dates back to 1999.

Dedra Salinas, 26, went missing that December and wasn't found until February 2006, when her skeletal remains were discovered buried in her own backyard in the 200 block of Cantrell. She had lived there with her then husband, Roy Hernandez, authorities said.

At the time, authorities weren't able to make an arrest but years of investigation by the police and the district attorney's office led to a grand jury indicting Hernandez in Salinas' killing.

He was arrested Wednesday without incident at his home. He no longer lived on Cantrell, officials said.

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"These cases are very unfortunate because these are people who at one point loved each other," said Sgt. Michelle Ramos, a spokesperson for the San Antonio Police Department.

Hernandez allegedly concealed Salinas's remains in his backyard by covering them with concrete. They remained there for years until 2006, when police received information from a tipster, obtained a search warrant and dug them up.

Authorities at that time were not able to produce enough evidence for an arrest warrant, so the case remained dormant until Tuesday when the indictment was secured.

Hernandez has been booked on a charge of first-degree murder with bail set at $75,000, according to online records.

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Caleb Downs is a crime reporter for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here.| cdowns@mysa.com | Twitter: @calebjdowns