A 27-year-old Arizona man is the prime suspect in the double homicide of his parents, whose bodies were found buried in shallow graves in their Litchfield Park backyard. Police believe Matthew Flores has fled the country, prompting an international manhunt involving the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service.
The investigation began on August 4 when relatives requested a welfare check on the family at their home west of Phoenix. Officers arriving at the residence discovered a significant amount of blood and evidence of a cleanup attempt, according to Avondale Police Officer Daniel Benavidez.
Homicide detectives were called to the scene, and subsequent investigation led them to the backyard. On August 6, authorities used a mini excavator to unearth the remains of two individuals.
While police did not immediately identify the victims, pending autopsies from the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office list Hector and Larissa Flores, both in their 60s, as the deceased. Investigators believe the couple had been killed and buried for an unknown period, with their bodies found in a state of decomposition.
Authorities stated that Matthew Flores is believed to have left the U.S. shortly after the alleged murders. The exact country he may have fled to has not been disclosed.
The Flores Semyonov family, through a representative, released a statement expressing devastation and full cooperation with law enforcement. The family requested privacy during this ongoing investigation and extended gratitude to those offering support.
Neighbors in the typically quiet Litchfield Park community expressed shock and disbelief at the news, describing the area as peaceful and rarely experiencing such incidents.
Efforts to apprehend Flores are complicated by the possibility of his having fled to a country without a formal extradition treaty with the United States.