103. Agony: The Murder of Tina Arriaga
In March 1994, 28-year-old Tina Marie Arriaga dropped off her two young daughters at their grandmother’s house in Long Branch, New Jersey. She told her mother she was running to the pharmacy. She never came back.
Weeks later, Tina’s body was discovered behind an auto shop, strangled and beaten. No one has ever been charged.
For more than 30 years, Tina’s family has lived with unanswered questions and growing doubts about the investigation. Her daughter, Patricia, joins Method & Madness to share her mother’s story and to ask the questions no one else has: Was this case neglected? Or covered up?
“I have missed out on so much throughout my life because of someone else's actions. And I am ready to close this chapter. I'm ready to give my mother justice, and I also want my daughter to see that her voice matters,” Patricia says.
If you have any information about the murder of Tina Arriaga, please get in touch with: The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Detective Matthew Delgado at 800-533-7443.
To get in touch with Patricia, find her on Facebook:
Facebook Patricia Arriaga Douglas
Content Warning: This episode includes discussions of graphic violence. Listener discretion is advised.
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Method & Madness is researched, written, hosted, & produced by Dawn Cate
Music by Tymur Khakimov from Pixabay
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SOURCES:
Newspaper Archives (via Newspapers.com):
Asbury Park Press, April 19, 1994, p. 25
Asbury Park Press, April 20, 1994, p. 32
Asbury Park Press, April 20, 1994, p. 31
Asbury Park Press, May 5, 1994, p. 7
Asbury Park Press, May 28, 1995, p. 11
Asbury Park Press, August 26, 1995, p. 7
Asbury Park Press, December 10, 1994, p. 34
Asbury Park Press, February 4, 1994, p. 20
Asbury Park Press, March 16, 1999, p. 4
Asbury Park Press, November 18, 2000, p. 53
The Star-Ledger (via Newspapers.com):
The Star-Ledger, April 20, 1994, p. 28
The Star-Ledger, June 21, 1994, p. 41
Court Records:
State of New Jersey v. Oscar Sanders, 1999, New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division — Published Opinion (available via Justia)
Historical & Contextual References:
Long Branch Pier & Boardwalk History – MonmouthBeachLife.com
Extent, Trends, and Perpetrators of Prostitution-Related Homicide in the United States – PubMed
Thank you for listening!