Southwest
Suspect extradited from Mexico, arrested 20 years to the day in cold case murder of Arizona girl
A suspect has been arrested in connection with a brutal 20-year-old cold case murder of a young Arizona girl.
The Phoenix Police Department (PPD) confirmed to Fox News Digital in a statement that Sergio Francisco Reyes, 37, was arrested on Wednesday for the 2004 murder of 15-year-old Elena Lasswell.
Reyes’ arrest comes exactly 20 years, to the day, after Lasswell was killed in her Phoenix home on July 10, 2004.
“On July 10, 2024, exactly 20 years after the horrific murder of then 15-year-old Elena Lasswell, detectives with the Phoenix Police Department’s cold case unit have arrested and booked 37-year-old Sergio Reyes for multiple violent felonies to include sexual assault and 1st Degree murder,” Sgt. Brian Bower of the PPD Public Affairs Bureau said in a statement.
CALIFORNIA MAN WHO WENT BY ALIAS FOR 40 YEARS ARRESTED IN WOMAN’S MURDER
Phoenix police arrested Sergio Francisco Reyes, left, in connection with the murder of Elena Lasswell, inset, 20 years to the day the killing happened. (Katie Tourville/FOX 10 Phoenix)
Police said that Reyes was extradited from Mexico on Wednesday, and booked into Maricopa County Jail for several violent felony charges.
It was just after 8 p.m. on July 10, 2004, when Phoenix police responded to a house in the area of 23rd Ave. and Thomas Road.
Officers and Phoenix fire personnel were directed to a room where they found the victim, identified later as Lasswell.
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Sergio Francisco Reyes, 37, was extradited from Mexico on July 10 and booked into Maricopa County Jail on multiple charges, including sexual assault and 1st-degree murder of Elena Lasswell, the Phoenix Police Department said in a press release. (FOX 10 Phoenix/Phoenix Police Department)
“Emergency lifesaving measures were attempted but Lasswell did not survive her injuries and was pronounced deceased on scene,” police said in a statement.
Officers were able to contact several witnesses and then turned the case over to homicide detectives, who took over the investigation and developed leads with no direct information as to who killed had Lasswell.
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Phoenix police arrested Sergio Francisco Reyes, left, in connection with the murder of Elena Lasswell, 20 years, to the day, after the killing happened. (FOX 10 Phoenix)
Detectives, not having any suspects, presented the case to Silent Witness, asking for community support in identifying a suspect. However, investigators ran out of leads, causing the case to go cold.
In 2012, police said cold case detectives used DNA collection techniques and were able to identify a profile that matched Reyes.
In March 2013, DNA evidence was processed and confirmed Reyes as the lead suspect.
Reyes, who police said was living in Mexico at the time, was indicted by a Maricopa County grand jury in 2014. This then prompted the start of the extradition process with help from U.S. Marshals Service to locate and arrest Reyes for the alleged brutal sexual attack and murder of Lasswell.
FLORIDA DETECTIVES SOLVE 37-YEAR-OLD COLD CASE MURDER OF FORMER FIREFIGHTER
Elena Lasswell’s aunt, left, told FOX 10 that the family does not wish revenge on her suspected killer; they just wanted him caught so he can’t hurt anyone else. (Katie Tourville/FOX 10 Phoenix)
FOX 10 Phoenix spoke with Lasswell’s aunt on Wednesday afternoon about the emotions the family is feeling.
“Knowing that someone is being held responsible feels awesome,” Katie Tourville said. “It’s been a long haul, and thank God for Phoenix PD. They have been absolutely amazing. I just really felt that they were on the right trail, and that they would get it. I just didn’t know when.”
Elena’s mother had passed away in the years since her daughter’s murder, but Tourville said the mother’s wish was not revenge.
“She wanted him to be caught so he couldn’t hurt anyone else,” Tourville said.
According to jail records, Reyes is being held on $1.5 million bond, and his next court appearance is scheduled for July 17.
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Los Angeles, Ca
2 killed in high-speed crash on Mulholland Highway
Two men were killed in a high-speed crash on Mulholland Highway in Calabasas over the weekend, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The driver, 45-year-old Omri Moalem, was heading south in a gray Porsche 2-door convertible near Dry Canyon Cold Creek Road before 7:30 p.m. on June 20 when he lost control, authorities […]
Los Angeles, Ca
L.A. Tenants Union trying to save business owner given eviction notice ‘without reason or discussion’
The Los Angeles Tenants Union (LATU) is trying to save a Highland Park business after they say the owner was given 60 days notice to vacate “without any reason or discussion.”
The tenants union says that Junior’s Discount Party Supply, has been owned by Silvia Flores for 20 years and that the store, located on York Boulevard, is “known and loved by thousands of community members who utilize her crucial services for party rentals, general household items and to send money transfers.”
“Her legacy small business has been successful and has supported her family,” LATU says.
That legacy is now at risk, however, as LATU says the building was purchased this past month, meaning Flores and four neighboring businesses were issued 60-day eviction notices.
“[The] 60-day eviction notice [terminates] her tenancy of two decades without reason or discussion,” LATU said in a statement tied to a petition to keep the store open. “Silvia has not violated any clause of her lease nor has she fallen behind on rent payments. In fact, the new property owner has not even introduced himself to the woman who he intends to uproot from her business and the community.”
LATU listed the new owner as Dr. Donald Abrahm and his real estate investment company AEA Investments VIII, LLC. They also said that the idea of pushing out “legacy businesses without a care for people or neighborhood[s]” is nothing new.
“In addition to causing Silvia, a low-income immigrant mother and grandmother, to lose her livelihood, this eviction will further accelerate gentrification in Highland Park. This is just one example of a war on commercial tenants,” the union said. “Displacement of tenants, whether residential or commercial, is an issue that too many of us have faced and we refuse to be complicit. Although this eviction is technically legal, it is unjust and inhumane.”
Los Angeles, Ca
L.A. heat advisory issued as temps expected to surge through midweek
Forecasters are warning Southern Californians to brace for an incoming heat wave, with temperatures climbing well above seasonal averages and peaking around midweek.
The National Weather Service said the hottest conditions will hit Tuesday through Thursday, with Wednesday likely to be the warmest day of the stretch.
Inland valleys across Los Angeles and Ventura counties could see temperatures rise into the low to mid-90s, while some desert communities may reach or exceed 100 degrees. Coastal areas are expected to remain somewhat cooler, with highs generally ranging from the mid-70s to low 80s.
Forecasters said the warming trend will begin Monday and intensify through Wednesday as high pressure strengthens over the region. Temperatures in inland areas are expected to run 4 to 10 degrees above normal for late June.
NWS officials issued a heat advisory from Tuesday morning through Thursday evening for portions of L.A. County, citing an increased risk of heat-related illnesses.
Officials noted that even though temperatures may fall just short of more extreme warning criteria in some areas, heat impacts could be amplified by large outdoor events and an influx of summer visitors unfamiliar with local conditions.
According to Weather Service spokesperson Carol Ciliberti, temperatures in downtown L.A. and surrounding metro areas could approach 90 degrees, while the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys are expected to climb into the mid-90s.
The Antelope Valley and parts of Santa Barbara County’s Cuyama Valley could top 100 degrees.
“The increased temperatures bring a higher risk of heat-related illnesses, especially for the young, the elderly and those without air conditioning,” Ciliberti told The Times.
The heat wave is also expected to suppress the marine layer that has contributed to persistent June gloom conditions, leading to sunnier skies for much of the week.
Forecasters are also monitoring an unusual push of mid-level moisture expected late Tuesday into Wednesday. While the chance of measurable rainfall remains low, weather models indicate a 5% to 15% chance of light showers, mainly across L.A. and Ventura counties.
The hot, dry conditions may also elevate fire weather concerns across portions of Southern California. NWS warned that drying vegetation and the potential for large fire plumes could increase wildfire risk in valleys and mountain areas.
Meanwhile, air quality concerns remain in parts of L.A. as smoke from the ongoing Boyle Heights warehouse fire continues to affect the region. Weather officials said the shallower marine layer could contribute to poor air quality while the fire remains active.
Relief is expected later in the week. Forecast models show the ridge weakening by Thursday and into the weekend, allowing temperatures to cool several degrees each day.
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