A convicted burglar serving time in prison was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping in connection with the 2008 disappearance of east-side resident Kay Read.
Luis Vargas, 36, also was charged with burglary, Tucson police said Tuesday in announcing the arrest in the cold case. Vargas has been in and out of prison since the late 1990s, court records show.
On Feb. 15, 2008, the family of Read, then 62, reported that Read and her van, a turquoise 1996 Dodge Caravan, were missing. Read needed crutches and leg braces to walk, and they were left at her house along with her glasses, according to previous reports about the case.
The day after Read went missing from her home in the 7300 block of East Marigold Circle near Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on Feb. 14, her Caravan was found ablaze in a parking lot at East Golf Links and South Kolb roads, less than two miles from her home.
Police later obtained surveillance footage showing a man purchasing gasoline for Read’s vehicle at a Conoco station, the Star reported in 2008.
Because of “suspicious circumstances,” police investigated Read’s disappearance as a homicide.
Detectives identified Vargas as a potential suspect early in the investigation. Vargas was sentenced to prison for an unrelated incident later in 2008, authorities said.
Police were aware Vargas was already in prison, which gave detectives more time to investigate thoroughly, said Sgt. Chris Widmer, a department spokesman.
Tucson police worked with the Pima County Attorney’s Office and more than six years after Read disappeared, arrested Vargas.
On Nov. 24, Vargas was arraigned on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree burglary and kidnapping. He is in the Pima County jail awaiting his next court date.
In 1997, Vargas was arrested and later convicted in Pima County Consolidated Justice Court of driving under the influence. He was sentenced to one year in prison.
In 2004, he was again arrested for DUI. He pleaded guilty to aggravated DUI while having a suspended license.
He was sentenced to 2½ years in prison.
His criminal behavior began to escalate. In 2007 he was charged with burglary and auto theft. He pleaded guilty to theft of a means of transportation and was sentenced to 3½ years in prison.
Before being sentenced on the 2007 offense, Vargas pleaded guilty to an unrelated 2008 burglary. He was sentenced to four years in prison to be served consecutively with the 2007 conviction.
His release date for the prior conviction was scheduled for Tuesday, the day police announced his arrest in the Read case.
Since Read’s disappearance in 2008, her family has been searching for her and offering a $20,000 reward for information. They established a website, FindKayRead.com, where members of the family periodically post updates.
In a Jan. 29 posting, the family wrote:
“Will we ever get answers? I doubt that the person or persons responsible for this evil act will ever read this, but our hopes and prayers are someday they will slip up and make another mistake and get caught. Or better yet, that something will soften their hearts and they give us an anonymous tip or lead to help us find Kay and bring her home.”
The family has also set up blood drives in Read’s honor. The upcoming blood drive is Dec. 14. Family members could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.
