GATESVILLE, Texas (FOX 44) – Two Gatesville residents were arrested on Tuesday, August 23 by Coryell County Sheriff’s Deputies on charges related to the murder of a Waco woman.

The Coryell County Sheriff’s Office said on Saturday, August 27 that 57-year-old Betsy Ayers Robinson, of Gatesville, has been charged with murder and tampering with evidence. She remains in custody at the Coryell County Jail on over $1 million in bonds. 42-year-old Cody Gene Ayers, of Gatesville, has been charged with tampering with evidence. He was released on Wednesday after posting a $20,000 bond.

Robinson is the mother of Jessica Colleen Robinson, who was arrested on May 19 on a theft of property charge. The younger Robinson was charged with the murder of Waco woman Elizabeth Ann Romero on May 20. On Monday, August 22, that murder charge was upgraded to capital murder – and a charge of tampering or fabricating physical evidence was added. She remains in custody at the Coryell County Jail.

The arrests come after months of investigation by multiple agencies into Romero’s disappearance. Gatesville Police entered Romero’s name into a missing persons’ database in April – after her family lost contact with her. Romero was initially reported missing to Waco Police. She was a Waco resident who was known by her family to frequent Gatesville.

Romero’s family members later received information that she might be at an address near Gatesville. Coryell County Sheriff’s Office Deputies conducted a welfare check at that residence following a request from the Waco Police Department – which was investigating Romero’s disappearance as a missing person.

The Sheriff’s Office also began an investigation into the woman’s disappearance. In May, the Sheriff’s Office received information that Romero was murdered at the address deputies had checked, and that her body had been disposed of nearby.

Following a series of interviews and searches, the younger Robinson was arrested for the murder.