Police Department Links 2025 Sexual Assault Suspect to 2024 Homicide

Detectives with the Phoenix Police Department have linked a man recently arrested in connection with a sexual assault to a homicide that occurred in the same location last year.

The break in this case comes from a community member who came forward after seeing a Silent Witness flyer asking for help in solving the recent violent sexual assault. Detectives from multiple investigative units, forensic scientists and crime analysts collaborated to link the suspect to both crimes definitively.

On June 13, 2024, officers responded to an emergency call of an unknown trouble in an alley near 46th Street. and Oak Street. When they arrived, they found a woman unresponsive, suffering from a head injury. The 64-year-old victim was taken to a nearby hospital, where she remained for nearly a week before succumbing to her injuries on June 21, 2024.

During the investigation, biological evidence collected by crime scene specialists was processed by forensic scientists, which produced a male DNA profile. The profile was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), but no match was identified at the time and the case went cold.

In Aug. of 2025, a violent sexual assault occurred just yards from where the homicide victim had been found the year before. Evidence collected in that case also produced a male DNA profile, which resulted in a CODIS match. Detectives confirmed the same suspect was connected to both the sexual assault and the 2024 homicide.

After tireless work by detectives to reach the community, a tip provided to investigators led to the identification of the suspect as 24-year-old Luis Tapia.

"Safety in our community is not just a police responsibility," Family Investigations Bureau Commander Steve Martos said. "You never know what information could help solve a case."

"When you have a DNA profile but you don't know who it belongs to, you really don't know where to start," Violent Crimes Bureau Commander Gabe Lopez said. "Getting that tip was instrumental in leading us to the suspect."

On Sept. 20, 2025, Tapia was arrested and booked on charges of sexual assault and kidnapping. Additional charges related to the homicide are forthcoming. Tapia's DNA was later obtained through a search warrant, which forensic scientists confirmed matched evidence from both cases.

"It's a feeling of relief," Lopez said. "This person was preying on vulnerable members of our community and there's a high probability that he would've hurt somebody else if we didn't find him."

"To be able to notify family members and loved ones of these victims that we've identified somebody, it's not just a relief to them," Martos said. "It's a relief to us that we can bring closure and safety to this particular community."

This arrest highlights the critical role of community members who came forward with information, as well as the dedicated efforts of patrol officers, detectives, crime scene response and forensic scientists. 

The investigations remain ongoing as detectives continue processing evidence in both cases. If you have any information regarding these two crimes, reach out to Crime Stop at 602-262-6151 or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.