Julie Gonzalez's disappearance case - A detailed case overview

Julie Gonzalez, a 21-year-old pharmacy technician from Austin, Texas, vanished on March 26, 2010, under mysterious circumstances. A devoted mother to her two-year-old daughter, Layla, Julie was known for her close family bonds and responsible nature. She had recently separated from her husband, George DeLaCruz, after a troubled marriage marked by his unemployment and excessive video gaming. Julie was rebuilding her life, rekindling a romance with her former partner, Aaron, and dreaming of a fresh start.

On the day she disappeared, she planned to pick up Layla from DeLaCruz's home but never returned. Suspicious text messages from her phone claimed she had met a man named James and was moving to Colorado, while her MySpace page echoed similar, uncharacteristic posts. Her family, doubting these messages because of Julie's attachment to Layla and her usual communication style, reported her missing. Her car was later discovered abandoned in a Walgreens parking lot.

Although her body was never recovered, the case evolved into a homicide investigation, leading to DeLaCruz's conviction. This story highlights digital deception and family perseverance. Caught in the Net season 1 episode 6, titled Digital Lies, is set to be re-aired on September 5, 2025, on Investigation Discovery.

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Background and early life of Julie Gonzalez

Caught in the Net, season 1 episode 6 (Image via Unsplash/@Martin Podsiad)

Julie Ann Gonzalez was born on October 28, 1988, in Austin, Texas, into a supportive Chicano family. She grew up helping at her grandparents' general store, where she developed a strong work ethic. As a teenager, she met Aaron, a coworker six years her senior, and they formed a romantic bond when she was 16. Her family, including her mother, Sandra Soto, ended the relationship due to the age gap. Julie then began dating her high school classmate, George DeLaCruz, as per Oxygen.

After graduation, the couple moved in together, and Julie soon became pregnant with their daughter, Layla. She left St. Edward's University to work full-time at Walgreens as a pharmacy technician and to support her family. They married in May 2009, but their relationship quickly grew strained. DeLaCruz was frequently unemployed and often spent up to 18 hours a day playing Xbox, leaving Julie to take charge of most household chores and finances.

In late 2009, Julie Gonzalez reconnected with Aaron after a chance encounter, and they began dating again as adults, according to Oxygen. Around the same time, she filed for divorce from DeLaCruz, who stalled on signing the papers. Despite the turbulence, Julie remained optimistic about her future and often shared her plans with relatives. She was especially close to her aunts, Dora and Margarita Soto, and made being a devoted mother to Layla her top priority.

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The disappearance of Julie Gonzalez

George murdered Julie over divorce (Image via Unsplash/@Kamil Switalski)

On March 26, 2010, Julie Gonzalez spent the night at Aaron's apartment and left early the next morning after writing him a loving note about their future. She planned to pick up Layla from DeLaCruz's South Austin home around 10 a.m. but never returned. Later that day, Aaron received a breakup text from her phone, which seemed abrupt. Family members also received messages claiming Julie was fine but needed space, written with slang and grammatical errors unusual for her, as per Oxygen.

Around the same time, her MySpace page posted about meeting a man named James and moving to Denver, Colorado, for a new life, details her family found suspicious, as she had no known connections there and would never abandon Layla. Calls to her phone went unanswered. The next day, her aunt Dora reported her missing to the Austin Police Department. Julie's gold Chevy Impala was later found parked at a Walgreens near her workplace, with no keys and no signs of struggle, as per Oxygen.

Surveillance footage did not reveal who left the car there. That same day, debit card transactions appeared at Walmart and McDonald's, but the card had been run as credit, unlike Julie Gonzalez's usual practice of using it as debit. These anomalies raised immediate concerns, as Julie was reliable, communicated constantly, and was scheduled to work the following Monday, as per KXAN.

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The investigation

Julie Gonzalez's body was never discovered (Image via Unsplash/@Markus Winkler)

The Austin Police Department initially treated Julie's case as a voluntary absence, since she was an adult. In May 2010, after appearing on the Dr. Phil show, where DeLaCruz failed a polygraph test showing deception, the case shifted to homicide. Detectives, including Sgt. John Brooks and Det.

Rogelio Sanchez searched DeLaCruz's home, finding a trench under a shed and a burn pit with charred clothing, a purple shoelace, and metal fragments, but no human remains. Digital evidence was key: Julie Gonzalez's phone pinged near DeLaCruz's house for hours on March 26, and texts were sent from there. MySpace posts traced to an IP address linked to DeLaCruz's account. His Xbox showed a rare 20-hour inactivity gap that day, as per KXAN.

Surveillance video later captured DeLaCruz using Julie Gonzalez's debit card at Walmart to buy children's items and a movie. Investigators also found a photo of Julie and Aaron on his phone, suggesting possible jealousy. In 2013, the case was reclassified as a homicide, as there was no evidence Julie had relocated. DeLaCruz was named a person of interest in August 2010 and arrested for murder in September 2013, according to KXAN.

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Trial and outcome

George was sentenced to life in prison (Image via Unsplash/@TimPhotoguy)

The trial of George DeLaCruz began in April 2015 in Travis County, with prosecutors Monica Flores and Gary Cobb arguing that he killed Julie out of jealousy and staged her departure. Evidence presented included cell phone pings, debit card footage, the Xbox gap, and burn pit items. Witnesses testified to DeLaCruz's controlling behavior, and an inmate claimed he confessed that Julie Gonzalez died during an argument, as per KXAN.

The defense countered that the absence of a body meant insufficient proof, questioned timelines, and portrayed DeLaCruz as too immature for such actions. After weeks of testimony, the jury deliberated for about six hours and found DeLaCruz guilty of murder in 2015. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, as per Fox 7.

Julie Gonzalez's family, including her mother, Sandra Soto, expressed a mix of relief and sorrow, noting that without her remains they were denied full closure. As of 2025, no new leads on Julie's body have surfaced, but community support continues through gatherings and online posts. Her family has since raised Layla.

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Watch Caught in the Net season 1 episode 6 re-airing on Investigation Discovery.