Police in Arizona have arrested a suspect in connection with the death of a 29-year-old woman found near a community hiking trail April 29.
The Phoenix Police Department (PPD) announced the arrest of an unnamed suspect believed to be involved in the murder of Lauren Heike in a Twitter post Thursday night.
Phoenix police have taken a man into custody in connection with the murder of 29-year-old Lauren Heike. pic.twitter.com/1j4Qq2b7nF
— Phoenix Police (@PhoenixPolice) May 5, 2023
Heike set off for a morning hike at approximately 10 a.m., Fox News reported, citing the PPD. Her body was found Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. along the community hiking trail in a location not clearly visible from the trail, Phoenix Homicide Lt. James Hester said, the outlet reported in a separate article. It appeared Heike had been attacked from behind and died from the injuries she sustained in the attack, Hester added. (RELATED: REPORT: Billionaire Heiress Still Missing After Suspect Is Charged With Abduction In Memphis)
“She was my little girl, and I’m going to miss her terribly,” Heike’s father, Jeff, said, according to Fox. “I just hope they can find whoever did this to her.”
Police released surveillance footage of someone allegedly running from the area where Heike’s body was found. The PPD announced the arrest of the suspect two days after the video was released.
“They literally blew the door down, went in, screaming ‘get on the ground! Get on the ground!’” neighbor Amber Winter told Fox 10 of the suspect’s arrest. “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.”
Scottsdale-based self-defense instructor Tiffany Richards said that in order to stay safe on trails, it’s important to stay vigilant and aware of your surroundings, the outlet reported. “You definitely want to remove all distractions, and that means [earbuds] because once you have them in or you are looking at your cell phone, or even talking to someone on your hike, you are taking away one of your senses,” she said.
Richards also suggested carrying something for self-defense. “What I personally carry is called a Kubotan. I train with this, this is something I’m very comfortable with. Another thing is called a tactical pen. So this acts as a Kubotan, so if someone comes up to you, you could use it to strike the eyes, the ears, groin.”