Chilling phone records that led cops to Madeline Pantoja suspect Juan Chacon Jr. revealed

THE chilling phone records which led to the arrest of a man accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend have been revealed.

Madeline Pantoja, 21, was last seen at her Midland, Texas, home on May 10 before she vanished, leaving behind her dog, cell phone, and keys.

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Her body was discovered on May 20, 2023.

Her ex-boyfriend Mario Juan Chacon Jr., 24, was arrested that same day after phone records showed he wasn't truthful in an interview with detectives, read court documents.

Madeline's brother, Christian, called police on May 11 to perform a welfare check after he hadn't heard from the woman.

Her brother added that his sister and Chacon had issues and broke up shortly before she disappeared.

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Christian said he received a call from Chacon at 8.30pm on May 10 and told him that he had gotten into an argument with Madeline who was not answering his calls.

After their phone call, Christian spoke with Madeline at 8.35pm and sent a text message to her at 8.37pm, according to the arrest affidavit, however, he never heard from her again.

An officer spoke with one of Madeline's best friends, who said the last time she heard from her was on May 10 at 9.31pm to confirm plans for the next day.

The friend said she arrived at Madeline's apartment at 6pm and called several times, however, they went unanswered.

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She even knocked on Madeline's door, according to the affidavit, but nobody answered.

The friend left and said, "she had a gut feeling something was wrong" and called Madeline's other close friend and told her what was happening.

Both women went back to the apartment to check on Madeline once again at 8pm and saw that the light inside that was previously on was now off.

The friends became worried and called Madeline's brother, who then called Chacon at 9.25pm to see if he knew where his sister was.

The affidavit said that Chacon was "very evasive and did not appear concerned that Madeline (Pantoja) had not been heard from."

Chacon said he was with his father all day and his "family could verify where he was."

Chacon reportedly sent his location to Christian at 9.26pm, showing that he was at his house.

Madeline's friends also called Chacon at 9.20pm but it looked as if he was declining them, however, Cacon called her back at 9.23, saying that he "had witnesses for today and has been at his house all day" and that he was "taking his anger medication and was not able to drive."

Madeline's friends and brother were let inside her apartment by the manager, where they found her purse, car keys, and her dog.

According to them, it was out of character for Madfeline to leave her dog for more than two hours at a time.

It was also revealed that a black couch table was missing.

When officers arrived at the apartment, they noticed a mop with a dirty bucket of water next to the front door and found that the floor was "extremely sticky as it is when too much cleaning product is used when mopping the floor," according to the arrest affidavit. 

A neighbor told police that she was woken up by yelling heard from Madeline's apartment around 1.30am.

She said that it was a man and a woman yelling and that the woman could be heard screaming.

Officers met with Chacon on May 12 at 12.05am, who told them that he last saw Madeline on May 9 and had only communicated with her since then by cellphone, last hearing from her at 9pm on May 10.

According to the arrest affidavit, he was at his house around that time and stayed there during the night.

A second welfare call from Madeline's apartment was made at 10.50am on May 12, with the caller stating that a woman's voice was heard inside Madeline's apartment.

Officers tried to contact the person inside but didn't receive an answer and did not find Madeline.

Holes were found in the bathroom door and the door leading to Madeline's bedroom was damaged with hair attached to it.

The comforter on her bed was also missing and a dark, red stain was found on the bed sheet, according to the affidavit.

Chacon was interviewed again on May 12 at 5.45pm and told officers that he forgot to mention that he had drinks with his cousin on May 10, who picked him up in his truck from the same apartments where Madeline lived.

Chacon said he dropped his cousin off at his apartment and texted him around 11.06pm to let him know he got to his house.

Security footage on May 10 showed Chacon's truck, which he said he was the only one to drive during the month of May, near an oil company near Madeline's apartment complex.

The footage had a timestamp from 1.59am.

A search warrant for Chacon's phone records was obtained by detectives on May 13 from AT&T, according to the affidavit.

A Flock camera showed the license plate of Chacon's pickup near South County Road 1160 at 3.22am and evidence from traffic and business cameras and cellphone data were able to track Chacon's whereabouts between 12.26am and 3.37am.

Detectives interviewed Chacon a third time on May 18, telling him they had "found lies in his timeline."

A polygraph was also attempted during the interview but Chacon, who ended the interview, declined.

On May 20, the Midland Police Department sent the cellphone records from AT&T to the Texas Rangers, who then mapped out the geolocation for May 10-12.

The geolocation showed an "approximate one-mile area around East County Road 190 and South County Road 1138 in Midland County," according to the arrest affidavit.

A search of the area was conducted by the MPD and Texas Rangers, resulting in the discovery of human remains and jewelry that Madeline was known to wear.

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An autopsy will be performed in Dallas County. 

Chacon was charged with murder and is being held at the Midland County Jail on a $3million bond.

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