Do you know who murdered Wanine Moreira Rodriguez?
In the sprawling, arid landscape of the Las Vegas Valley, a quiet corner of the desert holds a dark secret. On September 26, 2001, a person walking their dogs in a remote area near the intersection of Hualapai Way and Sunset Road made a disturbing discovery. It was there, in the harsh terrain on the southwestern outskirts of the city, that they came upon a shallow grave containing human remains. Officers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department were summoned to the scene, where they confirmed the discovery and began the painstaking work of a homicide investigation.
The victim was soon identified as Wanine Moreira Rodriguez, a 34-year-old woman and a citizen of Brazil. Investigators learned that Ms. Rodriguez, who was described as a former model, had been missing for an unknown amount of time before her body was unearthed. The evidence at the scene made it clear to detectives that she had been killed at a different location before her body was transported to the desert. The remote spot was likely chosen by her killer in a calculated attempt to conceal the crime and dispose of her remains where they might never be found.
The investigation into Wanine’s death was severely hampered from the start. Due to the effects of exposure to the elements in the desert environment, her body was in an advanced state of decomposition. This presented a significant challenge for the Clark County Medical Examiner, who was ultimately unable to determine a specific cause or manner of death. The final moments of Wanine Moreira Rodriguez’s life—how she was killed and the injuries she may have suffered—remain a mystery, obscured by the passage of time and the condition of her remains.
With no determined cause of death and little physical evidence to work with, the LVMPD Homicide Section faced a difficult path forward. Detectives exhausted all available leads, but were unable to identify any suspects or persons of interest in connection with the murder. No arrests have ever been made, and the case eventually went cold, becoming one of the many lingering, unsolved homicides in the department's files. The questions of who killed Wanine Rodriguez and why have gone unanswered for more than two decades, leaving a painful void for anyone who knew and cared for her.
The case of Wanine Moreira Rodriguez is a quiet but persistent tragedy. Little has been shared publicly about her life—her journey from Brazil, her experiences in the United States, or the family and friends who mourned her loss. She has been described as a forgotten victim in the city’s complex history. As of today, her death remains an open and unsolved homicide investigation.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department continues to ask for the public’s help. Even a small, seemingly insignificant detail could be the key to unlocking the case and providing the answers that have been missing for so long. Anyone with information regarding the disappearance or death of Wanine Moreira Rodriguez is urged to contact the LVMPD Homicide Section at (702) 828-3521. To remain anonymous, tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers of Nevada at (702) 385-5555.
