A Texas man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of tampering with his girlfriend’s body after she was found dead at a local dock in May, police announced.
James Hart, 51, was charged in connection with the death of his girlfriend, Giselle Salazar, a 30-year-old mother of four who was discovered hanging by a rope at the League City dock on May 31, according to the press release.
Court records show Hart has not been charged with killing Salazar.
The League City Police Department told HuffPost in June that detectives immediately considered Salazar’s death suspicious due to the positioning of her body. One of her arms was in an upright position with nothing holding it up, leading detectives to believe Salazar died at another location with her arm raised before it stiffened.
It’s still unclear how Salazar died. Police told HuffPost in an email on Friday that the investigation is ongoing, and the medical examiner’s office has not released its full report.
After finding Salazar’s body, police said they spoke to a man who may have been the victim’s boyfriend. He became “distraught” when questioned by police and wouldn’t come out of his boat for a short while.
According to previous reports by ABC station KTRK, Salazar had been living with Hart on his boat docked at the Wharf Marina since March. Hart told the outlet that he “would never hurt Giselle” and said he only found out about Salazar’s death when police informed him. He last saw her leaving the boat to use the bathroom hours before she was found dead, according to the outlet.
An attorney was not listed under Hart’s criminal court records. He is currently being held on an $80,000 bond.
Nathan Paz, Salazar’s brother, described the victim as “the most charismatic person you could ever meet,” according to a GoFundMe in honor of her legacy. Paz said three of his sister’s children are being cared for by him and his mother.