29-year-old with ‘a kind heart’ found dead near Arizona trail. Police arrest man
UPDATE: Police arrested a suspect in his 20s on May 4 in connection with the death of 29-year-old Lauren Heike, Phoenix police said. The man was arrested at an apartment complex near where Heike’s body was found. He is the person in the video that police released when they were looking for the suspect.
The original story is below.
A 29-year-old woman known for her “kind heart” and love for exercising was attacked and killed on an Arizona trail.
Now her family and friends are asking the public for help after police released a short video clip of a suspect.
Lauren Heike was walking on a trail near her home around 10 a.m. April 28 when she was attacked from behind, Phoenix Police Department homicide Lt. James Hester said during a May 3 news conference.
Heike’s body was found the next day in an area that was not “easily viewable by those that utilize the trail,” Hester said.
Police are now looking for a man who is between 5 feet, 8 inches tall and 6 feet. He was wearing dark clothing and a backpack around the time when Heike was killed.
They released a video clip of the man running from the area.
Heike’s family traveled to Phoenix from Washington after she died. She previously lived in the Bremerton area, KING-TV reported.
“We want someone to come forward and help us find this person,” her mother, Lana Heike, said during the news conference.
Lana Heike said her daughter, who was “beautiful inside and out,” loved the Phoenix area and had many friends.
“I talked to her every single day at least once or twice a day. And texted. And every phone call ended with ‘I love you mom,’” she said.
She also said her daughter loved to exercise.
“We are happy that her last moment ... she was walking, and we know she was happy. She went out that morning on a beautiful day to do what she does every day,” Lana Heike said.
Anyone with information can contact the Phoenix Police Department or Silent Witness at 480-948-6377, or 480-837-8446 for Spanish.
“We will exhaust every resource to bring justice to Lauren and her family. We just ask for any measure of assistance that we can get from the community. Please pray for Lauren and her family,” Hester said.
This story was originally published May 4, 2023 at 3:11 PM with the headline "29-year-old with ‘a kind heart’ found dead near Arizona trail. Police arrest man."
