A manhunt is underway for a suspect believed to have fled the country after his parents were found dead in the backyard of his family’s home in Arizona, according to authorities on Thursday.
Concerned family members requested a welfare check for a husband, wife, and adult son who live at the residence in Litchfield Park after they had not been seen or heard from in a while.
Police have identified Matthew Flores, the couple’s 27-year-old adult son, as the primary suspect in the case.
“All I can say, is that he fled the country,” Avondale Police Department Public Information Officer Daniel Benavidez told reporters during a press conference.
Flores is believed to have left the United States before the bodies were discovered. Police did not disclose where they believe the suspect fled to.
NTD reached out to the Avondale Police Department seeking more information and an image of the suspect, but did not receive a response by publication.
The investigation, according to Benavidez, began as a missing person’s case and escalated into a homicide investigation after the welfare check was conducted at the home on Verbena and Mesquite Lane on Aug. 4. When officers entered the home, nobody was inside, but police found a significant amount of blood inside the residence, along with evidence suggesting attempts had been made to clean the scene.
During a subsequent search of the property, investigators uncovered two decomposed bodies buried in the backyard.
Authorities said the remains are believed to be those of the missing couple, although official identification is pending confirmation by the medical examiner.
Police have not released the identities of the husband and wife.
The causes and manner of death have not yet been publicly released.
Law enforcement agencies are working with federal and international partners to determine his whereabouts.
Investigators are continuing to process evidence collected from the home and property while awaiting forensic testing and autopsy results. Officials say those findings will help establish a timeline and determine how the victims died.
A neighbor told local media outlet Arizona Family that the neighborhood is typically quiet.
“We don’t really have much going on here. I don’t even really see my neighbors for the most part. I don’t really see them come home. I don’t see them leave. It’s a super, super quiet neighborhood. So this is a shock to all of us,” she said.
Anyone with information related to the investigation or the whereabouts of Matthew Flores is urged to contact local law enforcement.
Authorities have not announced any arrests, and the investigation remains active.
