SEGUIN, Texas – The charge against Michael Lewis Arce, 30, has been upgraded to murder, according to Guadalupe County Jail records.
Arce is being held under a $1 million bond in the death of his girlfriend, Vivian Cases, 30, who had been missing since Monday.
Seguin police said Arce was already in custody, charged with assault-family violence, when Cases' body was unearthed from a shallow grave Thursday afternoon.
However, how she died has yet to be confirmed.
Police said they responded Monday to a disturbance and argument involving the couple, but Arce was gone by the time they got there.
Cases' father later reported his daughter missing, prompting a search near her Seguin home.
Police said they found a piece of ground near the railroad tracks that had been disturbed and covered by a mound of dirt.
They said the woman's remains were identified by her father.
Her family declined any comment, as did Arce's grandparents, who only said the couple had known each other only a matter of months.
A check of public arrest records shows that Arce has a lengthy criminal record dating back to 2002, including charges of arson and multiple parole violations.
He was released from custody on March 16 on charges of criminal mischief, evading arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The following week, Arce was charged with public intoxication.