Tucson police homicide detectives obtained an arrest warrant Wednesday for a 24-year-old man in connection to the slaying of a man inside a house on the city's south side last month.
The arrest warrant names David Adi-Lopez as a suspect in a second-degree murder case involving the slaying of Harry Griffin, 68, said Sgt. Pete Dugan, a Tucson Police Department spokesman. Adi-Lopez is also named in the theft of Griffin's vehicle.
On Tuesday, Nogales Police Department officers found Griffin's vehicle. Tucson Police homicide detectives searched the vehicle and found Griffin's body inside the trunk, said Dugan. The vehicle was parked near the international border.
An autopsy is scheduled this week to determine the exact cause of Griffin's death, said Dugan.
Dugan said the slaying occurred Dec. 27 inside a house in the 6000 block of South Southland Boulevard. The home is in a neighborhood east of South Nogales Highway and north of East Bilby Road.
Police received information Dec. 30 from relatives of Adi-Lopez who said they received information that Adi-Lopez may have killed someone in the house and then removed the body.
Family members told police that on Dec. 27 when they arrived home they found a large amount of blood inside their house. Adi-Lopez, who also lives there, was not home and when relatives spoke to him by telephone Adi-Lopez said he had a medical emergency and was seeking treatment, said Dugan.
Family members told detectives that they cleaned the house and Adi-Lopez did not return home.
Dugan said no medical record was found that Adi-Lopez received treatment at a hospital.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for the house and even though the house had been cleaned, blood evidence was recovered that was indicative of significant trauma, said Dugan. He said a court order was obtained for Adi-Lopez's cell phone, which showed multiple calls were made to Griffin.
When detectives went to speak to Griffin, they learned from relatives and friends that Griffin had not been seen for days and his vehicle also was missing, said Dugan. Police issued information to law enforcement agencies regarding their attempt to locate Griffin and his vehicle.
Adi-Lopez is described as a Hispanic man who is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 120 pounds. He has short black hair and brown eyes. He also has a small birthmark on the right side of his forehead, a star tattoo on the back of his neck and tattoos on his arms that read: "Axel" and "Jaydon".
Detectives ask that anyone with information call 911 or 88-CRIME, an anonymous tipster hotline.
