A woman’s family has been left heartbroken after she was brutally murdered during a solo hike last week.
According to the Phoenix Police Department, 29-year-old Lauren Heike went out for a hike on the Reach 11 trail in Arizona last Friday when she was “viciously” attacked from behind and “fatally injured.” However, she was not discovered until 10:30 a.m. the next day when a passerby came across her body in an area that was not visible from the trail. When firefighters arrived at the scene, they pronounced her dead. Heartbreaking.
While her official cause of death hasn’t been announced, court documents obtained by AZ Family revealed Lauren was stabbed 15 times after being chased on the trail. Awful. Police believe she may have tried to escape her attacker at one point as she was found near a barbed wire fence. She also had several defensive wounds on her hands and arms.
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Since the shocking discovery, 22-year-old Zion William Teasley has been taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder for the death of Lauren. Police arrested the suspect at his apartment near Scottsdale on Thursday – which was less than a mile from the trail where the woman’s body was found. Sgt. Melissa Soliz previously said of the arrest at a news conference on Thursday:
“Right now, he is the person that we believe to be responsible or in connection to the murder of Lauren Heike. Our detectives are going to ensure that every piece of evidence is looked at carefully, every angle and give their full effort on this case. We’re hoping that the community can rest a little easier knowing this person is off the streets.”
According to AZ Family, investigators connected Zion to the crime as they identified him from a short surveillance video that showed someone running in the area where Lauren’s body had been discovered. You can see the clip (below):
NEW INFO ON HOMICIDE investigation. Police are hoping someone can help them identify the person in this short video who may have info on a homicide case from 6500 E Libby Street. Anyone with info call police or @SilentwitnessAZ
Original media advisory:https://t.co/8ITIbfihky pic.twitter.com/2vnwY840NC— Phoenix Police (@PhoenixPolice) May 3, 2023
When interviewed by detectives, the court docs stated that Zion admitted he visited the same trail Lauren had been on but refused to disclose his exact routes, only noting that he never walked around the same area. He then was shown a picture of the surveillance video. While Zion responded to officers by saying “that’s me” at first, he then backtracked and claimed he wasn’t sure.
But when investigators showed a picture of Lauren, he allegedly said he recognized the victim and “wanted to look like her,” adding that he struggled with his sexuality while growing up Christian. Police then asked Zion if he planned on killing Lauren, to which he replied:
“I am definitely not the person who plans to kill another person. If I was going to do something like that, it wouldn’t be premeditated.”
Chilling details…
The biggest piece of evidence? They also discovered his DNA on Lauren’s shoes. During his initial court appearance on Friday, prosecutors insisted Zion had signs of “premeditations” in the murder – but did not elaborate. They detailed that he was previously charged with third-degree burglary, armed robbery, kidnapping, and disorderly conduct in 2020. He ended up taking a plea deal, pleading guilty to armed robbery, disorderly conduct, and robbery. Zion served 16 months in prison before being released in November of 2022. Prosecutors also noted he is potentially a flight risk as he booked a plane ticket to head to Detroit before his arrest.
At this time, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office records show that Zion is being held on a $1 million bond. His next court appearance will be on May 11. After the discovery of Lauren’s body, her family has spoken out about this tragedy. Her mom, Lana Heike, described the women in a press conference on Wednesday, saying:
“She was beautiful inside and out. She had such a kind heart. Everybody who met her, loved her. She was super funny. She was just a sweet child – just everything to us.”
Her dad, Jeff Heike, added at the time:
“She was my little girl. I’m going to miss her terribly. I just hope they can find whoever did this to her.”
Our hearts break for this family. Here is hoping they can get some justice for their daughter’s death.
[Image via Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Lauren Heike/Instagram]
