A suspect has been arrested in connection with the murder of Lauren Heike, an Arizona woman killed during a solo hike, police said.
A man in his 20s was taken into custody Thursday at his home, located just a mile away from where Heike lived, Sgt. Melissa Soliz of the Phoenix Police Department said. She did not identify him, but video from Telemundo Arizona shows him sitting on a curb and then lying down on his back while handcuffed.
“With this information, we hope that the community tonight can rest a little easier knowing that this person is off the streets,” Soliz said.
The arrest comes less than a week after 29-year-old Heike was found dead along a desert-area hiking trail in northeast Phoenix. Police said she was “viciously” attacked from behind and “fatally injured” during her hike Friday evening.