Litchfield Park remains found as police seek missing couple’s son
Police recovered two unidentified, decomposed sets of remains from a Litchfield Park backyard and say a 27-year-old is a suspect.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
Two unidentified sets of human remains were recovered from a Litchfield Park backyard on Aug. 6 as police investigated the disappearance of a married couple and their adult son. In the Litchfield Park remains found case, Avondale police say they believe the son, 27-year-old Matthew Flores, left the country before officers arrived for a welfare check.
The remains were in a state of decomposition and had not been identified as of Thursday afternoon, Officer Daniel Benavidez, an Avondale police spokesperson, told reporters. Police have not said how long the remains may have been in the yard.
What did police find at the Litchfield Park home?
Relatives called police Tuesday afternoon asking for a welfare check on a husband, wife and Flores, who were expected to be at the home, according to NBC News and Arizona’s Family. Officers did not find anyone inside, but Benavidez said they found a large quantity of blood and evidence that someone had apparently tried to hide it.
That evidence led officers to suspect foul play, police said. Phoenix police homicide investigators assisted Avondale officers as the remains were recovered from the backyard.
Police have withheld the names of the missing husband and wife at the request of the relatives who reported them missing, NBC News reported. Authorities have not publicly identified the remains as the couple.
Why are police looking for Matthew Flores?
Avondale police have described Flores as a suspect in the missing-person investigation. Investigators believe he had departed the United States before the welfare check, but Benavidez did not disclose where police believe he went or explain why he may have left.
Arizona’s Family reported that detectives were not formally calling Flores a homicide suspect at that point. ABC15 Arizona described the wider case as a homicide investigation, a distinction police had not fully detailed publicly.
Police said the episode was isolated and that they did not see an ongoing threat to the public, according to ABC15 and Arizona’s Family.
Anyone with information about Flores’ whereabouts can contact the Avondale Police Department at 623-333-7001 or Silent Witness, police said.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.