3 found dead in Ahwatukee fire; family of victim pleads for tips from the public
PHOENIX - The names of the three people found dead in an Ahwatukee apartment on July 15 have been released.
They are 37-year-old Samuel Lott, 27-year-old Merissa Honeycutt and 25-year-old Anthony Frederickson-Ceccarelli.
Phoenix Police say the victims suffered "obvious signs of trauma" not related to the fire.
The fire broke out around 6:30 a.m. on July 15 near I-10 and Ray Road.
Samuel Lott
‘It is a nightmare’
Samuel Lott’s brother, Douglas Lott, describes him as a drummer, trader of sports cards and a jack of all trades.
"Sam was a fiercely loyal and loving person. He was the kind of man that if you needed something, he would find a way to get it to you," Douglas said. "He would give you his shirt, he would put you in his own home, he would bring you in, he would help you."
Days ago, Douglas saw his brother for the very last time.
"Normally we always tell each other ‘I love you’ as we are walking away, even as grown men. We have a very deep love for each other, and so I recall those being our last words," Douglas said.
Police called him with the gut-wrenching news. His younger sibling was dead.
"It is a nightmare. To know someone was capable of such horrific acts is in our community … it makes it difficult," Douglas said.
3 adults found dead in Phoenix apartment fire, murder investigation underway
A homicide investigation is now underway after three people were found dead in an apartment fire near I-10 and Ray Road.
Crews put out the flames quickly, locating the victims in a room with signs of trauma.
"I know there are many times we say it was a gunshot, it was a stab wound, it was blunt force trauma, things like that. At this point, we are not ready to do that," said Phoenix Police Sgt. Rob Scherer.
The department is keeping the details of the case close to the chest.
PD says at least one of the victims lived in the apartment, but didn’t reveal the relationship between the three.
"I didn’t know them," Douglas said. "From what I can tell, they weren’t mutual friends of our friends."
He has no idea why his brother was there.
As detectives work to pursue leads, they’re asking for the public’s help.
"'I saw a person walking around that didn’t belong in our apartment complex around 6:30.' That’s the type of stuff that gets us to who needs to be held accountable," Sgt. Scherer said.
Justice is something the Lott family says they want more than anything.
"Anything that can help them find out what happened in this situation," Douglas said. "We are begging."
Sadly, the Lott family lost their youngest brother this past Christmas. The family is beside themselves with grief at another loss.
If you'd like to help the family, you can donate to their GoFundMe.
Anyone with information should contact Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS. Spanish speakers can call Testigo Silencioso at 480-TESTIGO. Si tiene alguna información sobre este caso, llame a la línea de Testigo Silencioso (480-TESTIGO, 480-837-8446). You can remain anonymous.