The suspect arrested in connection with the death of a 29-year-old female hiker who was found dead on a community hiking trail in Phoenix over the weekend has been identified by a law enforcement source as 22-year-old Zion Teasley.
Teasley, the source told Fox News, is being charged with first-degree murder. He also has a lengthy criminal record dating back to 2020 for charges including assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, robbery, armed robbery and burglary.
Lauren Heike was found dead on Saturday, April 29.
At a news conference on Thursday, May 4, deputies announced the suspect's arrest and described him as a man in his early 20s, but did not release the person's exact identity. The Phoenix police previously shared a blurry image of the suspect after 29-year-old Lauren Heike was found dead on Saturday, April 29.
PHOENIX POLICE ARREST SUSPECT IN CONNECTION TO LAUREN HEIKE'S DEATH
At a news conference on Thursday, May 4, deputies announced the suspect's arrest and described him as a man in his early 20s, but did not release the person's exact identity.
Investigators said the suspect was arrested at the apartment complex where he lived, and a search warrant was served on his apartment. They also said the suspect was taken to the Phoenix Police headquarters for questioning.
The body of Heike was found along a popular community trail after police received a report of an apparent injured person around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 29. She went hiking around 10 a.m. on Friday on the trail near 6500 East Libby Street, close to where she lived, the Phoenix Police Department said.
Police said the body was identified as Heike. She was pronounced dead at the scene and was found to have "trauma to her body," according to investigators.
PHOENIX WOMAN, 29, FOUND DEAD ON HIKING TRAIL
Amber Winter, who lived in the same apartment complex as Teasley, shared a video of the unidentified suspect being arrested in a dramatic series of events.
"It was around 6:00 p.m., I was walking my dog, saw about three SWAT trucks come in, 15 undercover vehicles pull up to a building," Winter told FOX 10 Phoenix. "They literally blew the door down, went in, screaming ‘get on the ground! Get on the ground!’ They detained the supposed suspect, and brought him out. He sat there for a while, while they went inside and were searching and were interviewing people."
Phoenix Homicide Lt. James Hester told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday, May 3 that Heike was found in a location that was not easily visible from the trail. Hester said she was attacked from behind and died due to her injuries.
At a news conference, Heike's family remembered their daughter as a beautiful and sweet child "who was everything to us."
"It's horrific. As hard as this is for us, we’re grateful because we had such a beautiful child," Heike’s mother Lana said. "We’re grateful because she had such beautiful friends."
