Marana police arrested a 35-yearold man on suspicion of first-degree murder Thursday, after his mother was found dead with signs of trauma, officials said.
Shortly before 9 p.m., police went to a home in the 8900 block of North Valhalla Drive, near West Twin Peaks and North Silverbell roads, to perform a welfare check on 62-yearold Debra Elaine Fouts, said Sgt. Chris Warren, a Marana Police Department spokesman.
Police found Fouts dead in the home, Warren said. The original welfare check call came from the Pima County Sheriff's Department. Because she lived in Marana, the Sheriff's Department asked Marana police to visit the residence, Warren said. Marana detectives' investigation at the scene resulted in the arrest of Nathan Fouts, on charges of first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a weapon, police said.
He was booked into the Pima County jail and is being held on a $ 1 million bond, according to jail records.
Online state prison records show Nathan Fouts was sentenced in 2001 to 21/2 years in prison for aggravated robbery and aggravated assault convictions. He also had a series of arrests in Pima County for DUI, drug possession and disorderly conduct, online records show.
