Three people were arrested this week in connection with the death of a good Samaritan in Arizona last month, officials said.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department identified two of the three people arrested Monday as Jack Upchurch, 40, and Elmer Smith, 19. The third person is 16 years old. NBC News does not typically identify minors accused of crimes.

The trio were arrested in connection with the death of Paul Clifford, 53, whose body was found near a smoldering car northeast of Tucson last month.

Sabrina Vining, a woman who identified herself as Clifford’s daughter in an online fundraiser, said her father disappeared after he left his house at 11:30 p.m. Dec. 23 to help a “stranger with a stranded vehicle.”

NBC affiliate KVOA of Tucson reported that Clifford’s family reported him missing after, they said, a strange man knocked on Clifford’s door and asked for help with his car.

He was later found dead, the sheriff’s department said. It did not provide a cause or manner of death.

Officials said they received information Monday about a possible location for the three suspects.

Detectives searched the area and obtained a search warrant for a property, which the Pima Regional SWAT team carried out.

The suspects barricaded themselves inside a home and eventually called 911 to negotiate a surrender, the sheriff’s department said. They left the residence and were taken into custody.

The sheriff’s department did not release any information about a motive or how it connected the suspects to Clifford’s killing.

The three suspects were booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Center on felony arrest warrants, officials said.

It was not immediately clear whether they have legal representation. Jail records do not list attorneys for any of the three.

Upchurch was being held on a $1 million bond, Smith on $1.025 million bail and the minor on a half-million-dollar bond, according to jail records.

Arizona men’s basketball’s 2025 recruiting class already features a 5-star prospect and the son of a future NBA Hall of Famer.

Next in line? It could be a player who is both a 5-star recruit and the son of one of the best guards to ever play at Arizona.

Alijah Arenas, one of the top-ranked juniors in the country, is preparing to reclassify as a senior, which would make him part of the 2025 class. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard told 247Sports that he is waiting on the necessary paperwork to be submitted.

“My family and I made the decision when it got to my junior year,” Arenas told 247’s Brandon Jenkins. “We saw the options and wanted to take the big step of looking towards college. I am trying to get there and to the league early.”

Arenas, the son of Arizona great Gilbert Arenas, is considering his dad’s alma mater as well as Kentucky and USC. Arenas plays for Chatsworth High School in California.

He is currently ranked as the No. 5 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class, and should he reclassify, he should “undoubtedly be ranked as the No. 1 shooting guard in the national senior class,” Jenkins writes.

Arenas told 247 he expects to announce his decision in March or April. He took an unofficial visit to Arizona for the Wildcats’ game against Duke in November; also at that game Bryce James, son of LeBron, who committed to Arizona Wednesday.

“I got to see how the environment is,” Arenas told 247. “Their school is amazing. The environment and intensity was crazy high. They are like family and show a lot of love over there. I vibe with everybody on the staff. My dad went there but he is open to me going anywhere.”

Landing Arenas would be the biggest recruiting coup yet for Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd. The 17-year-old is considered one of the elite scorers for his age. He averaged 22 points at the Adidas 3SSB in July, according to ESPN, where he shot 46 percent from 3-point range.

Arenas would add to a class that features top-20 small forward Dwayne Aristode.

The Wildcats are also in the running for 5-star in-state power forward Koa Peat and 5-star combo guard Brayden Berries. If Arizona can land at least two of the three between Arenas, Berries and Peat, it would make for one of the top recruiting classes in program history.

Arenas, as a legacy recruit with significant name recognition, would arguably carry the most weight.

PHOENIX — Somebody who bought a Powerball ticket in Arizona has one million extra reasons to celebrate the new year.

A $2 ticket purchased somewhere in the state matched all five white numbers drawn Wednesday night — 6, 12, 28, 35 and 66 — to win a cool $1 million.

Arizona Lottery officials haven’t yet announced where the seven-figure entry was purchased.

Was there a jackpot-winning Powerball ticket on Wednesday?

Nobody matched all white numbers plus the red Powerball of 26 to win the estimated jackpot of $181 million in the New Year’s Day drawing. The Arizona ticket was one of two to win $1 million, with the other being sold in North Carolina.

The odds of winning $1 million in Powerball are about 1 in 11.7 million.

Drawings in the multistate game of chance are held Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The estimated jackpot for the next drawing on Saturday is $200 million.

Arizona doubles up on $1 million wins

Wednesday’s big payout was Arizona’s second $1 million lottery prize in a span of six days.

A Mega Millions ticket sold at the Fry’s Fuel Center at 8260 S. Houghton Road in Tucson won $1 million in Friday’s drawing.

Mega Millions drawings are held Tuesday and Friday nights.

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