Police: Teen dies, 12-year-old hospitalized after kidnapping
Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers arrested a man on suspicion of kidnapping his two nieces and killing one on Wednesday.
DPS troopers responded to a call about an injured person on the side of westbound U.S. 60 near Wickenburg late Wednesday.
There, they found two girls with significant injuries near Wickenburg about 9 p.m.
The 13-year-old girl was pronounced dead at the scene and the 12-year-old girl was flown to a hospital in critical condition, according to DPS.
As they investigated, troopers learned about a kidnapping in Phoenix with two victims and were notified that a man with bloody clothes was at a gas station a few miles away, according to a DPS news release.
Troopers and Wickenburg police located the man, identified as 27-year-old Carlos Eduardo Mora, at the gas station and took him into custody.
Mora was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping, theft and probation violation, and was booked into a Maricopa County jail, according to DPS and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators later determined that Mora and another man were with the two girls at a family home in Phoenix when they decided to drive to a local store, officials said.
Mora then tried to drive away while the other man was in the store and officials say Mora hit him with his car as he tried to leave.
Family members said they contacted the two girls and heard screaming before the call disconnected, the statement said.
Phoenix police responded to the incident and started investigating the kidnapping.
Additional details about what happened from the time the kidnapping occurred to when the girls were discovered wasn’t immediately available.
The incident remained under investigation on Friday.
Phoenix police and DPS say they will continue to investigate.