Woman found dead in San Tan Valley; son accused of murder: PCSO

SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. - The Pinal County Sheriff's Office is investigating after a woman's body was found in San Tan Valley on Oct. 30.

The victim was found by a jogger in a farm field west of Gantzel Road and south of Skyline Drive at around 9 a.m. Her body was in an open field and behind piles of dirt.

About 10 minutes later, authorities said another 911 call came in. They say the caller, who was identified as the victim's son, reported that his mother had been kidnapped.

By that time, deputies had already found her body.

The victim was identified as 38-year-old Mary Collier, and authorities say her cause of death appears to be blunt force trauma from a sharp object.

As for the suspect, authorities say he's an 18-year-old, but did not release his name. They found him at their home suffering from self-inflicted wounds that likely came from a sharp object.

The suspect was taken to a hospital.

Despite earlier reports from PCSO that the woman was allegedly kidnapped, they now say there was never a kidnapping.

PCSO says the trouble started with some kind of verbal argument on Tuesday night, but the attack appears to have happened at one point on Wednesday morning.

The victim lived with her husband, the suspect, and at least one other child.

The suspect, according to investigators, will be booked when he is released from the hospital. The motive is unknown as of Wednesday afternoon.

A GoFundMe has been established to raise money for Collier's funeral. You can donate by clicking here.

‘I knew it was a crime scene’

A morning jog took a terrifying turn when James Richey came upon Collier's body.

"You get so upset that you want to go kill somebody? Kill your mom? That's what you think? I just don't understand," he said.

He recalls the scene he came upon.

"It was bloody. I think I saw a couple of puncture wounds on her shoulders and stuff. I didn't get too close because as soon as I saw the knife, I knew it was a crime scene."

A neighbor who wanted to remain anonymous said the family kept to themselves.

That neighbor reportedly saw the suspect seemingly after the murder happened.

"I was out front with my dog and I saw the gentleman in question walking from the direction of the field toward the house and then after that, about an hour later, the wife tells me there are cops everywhere. I didn't see anything unusual. He wasn't acting strange, he was just walking back to his house," the neighbor said.

Cathy Burack, whose son lives a street over from the family, said hearing the news as a mother and grandmother is unsettling.

"Shocked. Devastated. We came home from shopping and saw four cop vehicles down there, and we didn't know what happened. I was just taking my granddaughter for a walk and just found out," Burack said.