The Phoenix police authorities have identified the man they arrested on Thursday for the murder of 29-year-old Lauren Heike, the woman found dead in a desert area in the northeastern part of the city.
The 22-year-old suspect named Zion William Teasley, was charged on suspicion of first-degree murder. He also lived near the area where Heike was found dead.
According to Phoenix police, Heike was hiking on April 28 on a desert trail near East Libby Street and North 65th Place before being killed.
Her dead body was found by police before 11 a.m. on April 29 in a desert area near a neighborhood in the area of 64th Street and Mayo Boulevard after a resident reported seeing an injured person.
During Teasley’s initial court appearance, the Maricopa County prosecutor Ryan Green said the suspect was linked to Heike’s death by DNA, cell phone evidence, and witnesses who identified him.
On Wednesday, police released camera video footage of a man thought to be a murder suspect in Heike’s death. Theman is seen in the video runningin what appears to be a desert area. Police have said they think Heike was attacked from behind while hiking on the trail at about 10 a.m. Heike was in a location that would not have been easily viewable by others on the trail, police added.
Lana Heike, Lauren’s mother, was devastated by the news of her daughter’s death. She described her as a beautiful, kindhearted woman who was sweet to everyone she met.
No suspected motive for her murder has been gotten by the police.
