DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. -- Sheriff's investigators have announced an arrest in connection with the dragging death of a woman who still has not been identified.

The man under arrest was identified as Jose Luis Rubi-Nava, 36, of Glendale, Colo. The break in the case was announced at a 10:30 a.m. news conference Wednesday.

Rubi-Nava was taken into custody Tuesday night on suspicion of first-degree murder and was being held without bail in the Douglas County jail, Sheriff Dave Weaver said.

Rubi-Nava appeared in court for an advisement hearing at 2 p.m. He also is under an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold, according to Sheriff Dave Weaver, and is a suspected illegal immigrant.

Prosecutors said they will review investigative reports before formally charging Rubi-Nava, but he is expected to face the top charge of first-degree murder.

He is due back in court Monday morning for the formal filing of charges and is being held without bond.

Rubi-Nava had an interpreter and was advised his rights in court.

The prosecution said Rubi-Nava may be under investigation for criminal cases, possibly as a suspect or a witness.

Authorities searched Rubi-Nava's Glendale apartment and his vehicle on Wednesday.

Investigators said earlier that an autopsy determined the victim was alive when she was being dragged along a Douglas County road.

"I want to assure residents of Surrey Ridge and Douglas County that this location was randomly selected," said Weaver.

Investigators interviewed several witnesses in connection to a photograph found at the crime scene.

Authorities said they have not identified the woman who was killed. The photograph found near the woman's body showed a Hispanic couple standing against a wall. Weaver said the man in the picture is the suspect.

"We have no reason to believe the woman in the photo is our victim," said Douglas County Sheriff's spokeswoman Kim L. Castellano.

An autopsy concluded that the preliminary cause of death was severe head injuries coupled with strangulation. Police said the woman was found with an orange towrope wrapped around her neck, and at least one witness reported seeing a vehicle driving with its lights off, dragging something the night the woman was killed.

Weaver thanked everyone who came forward with information regarding the case but did not specifically say if any of those witnesses identified the woman in the photo or the woman who was killed.

An autopsy report released late Tuesday revealed that the victim was alive when a rope was placed around her neck and dragged behind a vehicle.

The woman's mangled, naked body was discovered along Surrey Drive near the Surrey Ridge subdivision, at about 2:39 a.m. Monday, police said.

A winding drag mark, consisting of tire marks and blood, stretched from Interstate 25 exit 191 to the area in the road where the woman's body was found, 7NEWS reported.

Her face was so disfigured that she could not be immediately identified, police said.

On Tuesday, a cross adorned with flowers and an angel was erected near the spot where the woman was found.

"It just tugs at your heart that she died such a horrific death. I don't know who put those there, but she certainly deserves that and more," said neighbor Sandi Berg.

The victim was described as a white, Hispanic or Native American woman with a short stature and stocky build. She was in her 30s and had fair to medium skin. She was 5 feet tall and 130 to 140 pounds. Her auburn hair, which may have been dyed, was shoulder-length or slightly longer. She had hazel or green eyes.

Authorities said that local residents should not worry about a possible killer in the neighborhood.

"I don't think there's anything to be concerned about. I think the individual came to this area to dump the body," said Undersheriff Tony Spurloch.

Nevertheless, the crime has offended and disturbed neighbors.

According to the sheriff's office, a man called authorities at 2:39 a.m. to report finding the woman's body on the road near his house. Her body was found in a massive pool of blood in the middle of the street. There was so much blood spilled on the concrete that street sweepers could not remove it all and authorities had to hire a private contractor to take care of it, police said.

Some traces of blood remain, and that's upsetting neighbors, Foley said.

"We don't want to attract any more attention that what we're already getting. This is our little piece of heaven," she said.

According to the evidence at the scene, it appeared that the vehicle that had dragged the woman had exited I-25 at the Surrey Ridge exit and then continued southwest, until her body was left in the middle of the quiet residential neighborhood.

The sheriff's office said the toxicology report could take up to three weeks or longer to be released but will determine if drugs or alcohol were in the victim's system at the time of her death.