Account
Jul 27, 2011
Dec 19, 2023
Bethany
Decker
35
21
60 inches
130 lbs
White / Caucasian
Female
Bethany Anne Decker, a 21-year-old student at George Mason University, was last seen on January 29, 2011, in Ashburn, Virginia. At the time of her disappearance, she was five months pregnant with her second child. Her life was complex; she was married to Emile Decker, a soldier deployed in Afghanistan, and they had a young son together. However, their marriage was facing difficulties, and Bethany had moved into an apartment with her new boyfriend, Ronald Roldan. Just before she vanished, Bethany and her husband, who was on military leave, had taken a trip to Hawaii, returning on January 28. She was last seen by her husband on the morning of January 29 before she returned to her Ashburn apartment. Roldan, her boyfriend, claimed he saw her at the apartment later that day, making him the last person known to have seen her. For about three weeks, Bethany's family and friends were not overly alarmed, as messages continued to be posted from her Facebook account. However, as time went on, her family grew concerned when they could not reach her directly. On February 19, 2011, her grandparents went to her apartment and found her car parked at an odd angle with a flat tire. After receiving no answer at the door, they reported her missing to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. The investigation revealed a troubling situation. There had been no activity on Bethany's bank accounts or cell phone since she was last seen. Her passport and identification were left behind, and she had missed both her job as a waitress and her university classes. Suspicion soon turned towards her boyfriend, Ronald Roldan, who had a history of being controlling and abusive. The investigation into Bethany's disappearance continued for years. A significant development occurred in 2015 when Ronald Roldan was charged with the attempted murder of another girlfriend in North Carolina, an attack she survived. This violent act shed further light on his character and kept him on law enforcement's radar. In November 2020, upon completing his sentence in North Carolina, Roldan was arrested and charged with the abduction of Bethany Decker. The charges were later upgraded to second-degree murder. In November 2022, Roldan pleaded guilty to her murder, finally bringing a resolution to the long-standing case. He admitted that during an argument on the day she disappeared, he pushed her, causing her to fall and fatally strike her head. He then placed her body in a Christmas tree disposal bag and put it in a trash compactor. In February 2023, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison, with a significant portion suspended. Despite his confession, Bethany Decker's remains have never been recovered.
Jan 29, 2011
Ashburn
Virginia
Loudoun County
20147
10511
Loudoun County Sheriff's Office
Leesburg
Virginia
Loudoun County
20177
P.O. Box 7200, Virginia
7037771021
County
Law Enforcement
2011002659
2011-02-19
Loudoun County Sheriff's Office
Brown
Brown
Brown
06/22/2026
