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Gruesome details surrounding case of Arizona man whose body was dismembered: Here's what to know

By
Updated  July 26, 2023 9:27pm MST
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 10 Phoenix

PHOENIX - Court documents are providing gruesome details surrounding the death of an Arizona man whose dismembered body was found in the Maryvale area of Phoenix.

Read More: Arrest made after dismembered human remains were found in Maryvale

According to our initial report, the man's body was found on the afternoon of June 28, 2023, after someone reported smelling a "foul odor" in the area.

Here's what you should know about the case.

NOTE: Due to the graphic nature of this story, discretion is advised.)

Have they identified the victim?

The victim was identified as 34-year-old Jose Gutierrez on June 29, 2023.

What about the suspect?

Carlos Guadalupe Leon Soto

The suspect, identified by police as Carlos Guadalupe Leon Soto, was arrested on July 18. Police, however, announced his arrest on July 26.

What happened?

Court documents we obtained painted a gruesome picture of what happened.

According to investigators, Soto admitted in an interview that was conducted after he was read his Miranda rights that he and the victim met on or around June 19, 2023, while Soto was working at a Mexican food store.

Soto, according to investigators, allowed Gutierrez to sleep with him in the same bed, but Soto denied he was in a sexual relationship with Gutierrez.

"Approximately three days after meeting, [Soto] stated that [Gutierrez] overdosed inside his apartment. The overdose occurred while [Soto's roommates] were out of town for several days," read a portion of the court documents.

Investigators said Soto admitted that he feared deportation, and "threw him away," referring to Gutierrez.

What did Soto allegedly do?

(Earlier Report) Dismembered human remains in Phoenix alley

Phoenix police provided an update to a death investigation near 39th Avenue and McDowell. Detectives are now revealing that dismembered remains had been discovered inside a bag.

(NOTE: Due to the graphic nature of this section of the story, discretion is advised.)

According to court documents, Soto admitted that he dismembered Gutierrez's body inside the apartment over the course of several hours with a kitchen knife.

Soto, investigators allege, flushed Gutierrez's organs down the toilet. Various body parts were later stored inside plastic bags and garbage bags.

"[Soto] placed the bags inside a wagon," read a portion of the court documents. "[Soto] transported the bags down the alleyway located south of his apartment, in between 39th Avenue and 41st avenue, towards the location where [Gutierrez's] human remains were later recovered."

Soto, according to court documents, admitted to cleaning the apartment and disposing the cleaning items following the alleged dismemberment of Gutierrez's body.

In court documents, investigators said they found Gutierrez's arms, lower torso and legs inside two trash bags. Soto, according to investigators, later directed them to the location where Gutierrez's head was disposed of.

What is Soto being accused of?

According to court documents, Soto is accused of the following:

All of the alleged offenses, according to court documents, are felonies.

Have there been other cases involving dismemberment recently?

This is not the first case in recent months that involves dismemberment in Arizona.

On July 24, we reported that a man in Casa Grande, Ariz. was arrested in connection with the death and dismemberment of his father.

According to a statement posted on Casa Grande Police Department's Facebook page, portions of the remains of Christopher Chase's father was found inside a burning 55-gallon metal barrel. Chase later surrendered to police, and according to officials, he and his father were involved in a fight, which led to a deadly shooting.

Murder cases involving dismemberment have also made international headlines this year. Earlier in 2023, we reported on the murder of Abby Choi, a Hong Kong model whose murder and subsequent dismemberment shocked the former British colony.

Read More: Gruesome murder, dismemberment of Hong Kong model Abby Choi shocks the world: Here's what you should know