By Joe Johnson
The number of suspects in the gruesome murder of a Barrow Couty woman three months ago continues to grow.
On Saturday, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced the arrest of 35-year-old Juan Ayala-Rodriguez of Gainesville on a murder charge in the death of 37-year-old Bethlehem resident Rossana Delgado.
The victim reportedly had been dismembered and set on fire.
Ayala-Rodriguez was arrested on June 26 in Durango, Mexico, and the GBI said it was working with the U.S. Marshal's Survice to coordinate his extradition to Georgia.
The GBI said Ayala-Rodriguez is the eighth suspect arrested in connection with Delgado’s murder.
Authorities have not released a motive for killing the victim.
Delgado was last seen alive April 16 in DeKalb County. The mother of two worked was a Lyft driver in Gwinnett County, according to the Barrow County Sheriff's Office, which said the woman’s husband reported her missing on April 17.
The husband reportedly tracked Delgado’s phone to a location near Chamblee, where he also found a blood-stained mask.
The GBI said the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office found Delgado's body during a welfare check the morning of April 20 of a home in the Gilmer County community of Cherry Log.
The investigation has resulted in the arrests of Shawn Callaway, 38; Terri Garner, 37; and Eva Martinez, 26, all on RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) charges.
In custody on murder charges, in addition to Ayala-Rodriguez, are Megan Alyssa Colone, 30, of Stone Mountain; Oscar Manuel Garcia, 26, of Austell; and Juan Antonio Vega, 25, of Cobb County.
Calvin Harvard, 28, of Covington was arrested and charged with theft by receiving stolen property and tampering with evidence
The GBI and the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office continue to actively investigate this case and search for three other murder suspects, Mario Alberto Barbosa-Juarez, 29 and Carolina Jazmin Rodriguez-Ramirez, 28, both of Oklahoma; and Maria Katherine Chavez Encarnacion, 28, of Marietta.
Anyone with information about thiscase is asked to contact the GBI. Tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS 8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something smartphone app.
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