Pleasanton Man Accused Of Killing, Dismembering Woman: Alameda Police

PLEASANTON, CA — A 42-year-old Pleasanton man has been arrested on suspicion of killing his 27-year-old fiancée, Alameda police said Thursday.

On July 20, the Alameda Police Department located human remains inside a bag along the shoreline near the Bay Farm Island Bridge, the department said in a news release. Alameda police also said that the body was found dismembered and wrapped in a plastic bag, according to CBS News. A preliminary autopsy determined that the death was a homicide, and started a multi-agency investigation, according to the department news release.

On Aug. 30, DNA evidence identified the victim as 27-year-old Rachel Elizabeth Imani Buckner of Pleasanton, who was listed in the Missing and Unidentified Persons Database. Additional evidence led to the arrest of Joseph C. Roberts, 42, on Wednesday, Sept. 6 by the U.S. Marshals Service and police from Pleasanton and Alameda. Roberts has been charged with murder and is due to be arraigned Friday morning in Alameda County Superior Court.

Charging documents obtained by KTVU indicate that Roberts referred to Buckner as his fiancée, and the two shared a home together in Pleasanton. Authorities said that Roberts’ DNA was found on the duct tape used to wrap Buckner’s body. Det. Robert Hansen also wrote in a probable cause affidavit that Roberts never reported Buckner missing at any point during the investigation.

Anyone with further information on the case is asked to contact the Alameda County Police Department at 510-337-8402.