A teenager who joined in the search for his missing ex-girlfriend after he killed her and stuffed her body in a trunk has been arrested.

The family of Idania Campos, 21, reported her disappearance to police after she had failed to show up at school and they found her car abandoned in the city of Houston, in the US state of Texas, on Tuesday, 27th November.

However, her family were not aware at the time that Idania’s body was stuffed inside the trunk of her car.

Houston Police said in a statement obtained by Newsflash on Thursday, 29th November: “They learned her location was in the area of the 5400 block of Indigo Street and saw her vehicle, a black Honda Civic, parked in the street.

“After searching the neighborhood and finding no sign of her, family members contacted HPD to report her missing.”

Idania’s ex-boyfriend, Ariel Cruz, 19, had been with the family for the whole day, supporting them in the search for the missing woman, according to police.

The statement added: “About 5:40 p.m., a family member forced entry to the Honda, opened the trunk and found the female unresponsive.

“Houston Fire Department paramedics responded to the scene and pronounced the female deceased. She had signs of trauma to her face.”

Cruz is now facing a murder charge after he confessed to the murder, according to police.

He reportedly shot her to death after she broke up with him, according to local media.

Lieutenant Alias Smith from the Houston Police, told local media: “Of course, if the family thought she was in the car, of course they would have made forced entry, but at this point, they just thought it was left there.

“Nobody at that point thought she was inside the trunk.”

The police believe that Cruz killed Idania somewhere else, then stuffed her body in the trunk of her car and drove to the place where he abandoned the car with her body inside.

Cruz was taken to Harris County Jail and he is kept on a USD 600,000 (GBP 474,087) bond.