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AZ AG's Office to open new cold case homicide unit
PHOENIX - The Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is establishing a new unit within her office that will focus on solving cold case murders.
They will first focus on five cases working alongside local police departments. Mayes says they will need the public's help to solve these cases.
"Even the smallest piece of information can make the difference in bringing justice to a family that has been waiting for so, so long for answers," Mayes said.
She says they're also reaching out to state universities and local colleges with the hopes of developing new software to solve these cases potentially through the use of AI.
"This unit reflects my commitment to ensuring that justice is not forgotten or abandoned, no matter how much time has passed," Mayes said. "Justice has no expiration date. This is about more than solving crimes—it’s about providing justice for the victims and their families. Every cold case represents a life that mattered and a story that deserves to be told."
The cases the unit will re-examine involve the deaths of Leslie Good, Sabino Lopez, Victoria Lacey, Diana Shawcroft and Jennifer Lueth, and Melody Harrison.
Leslie Good
On June 3, 2008, Goodyear Police responded to reports of a shooting at a home near Litchfield Road and Loma Linda Boulevard. That's where they found Good, 39, dead inside her home with a gunshot wound.
The AG's office will investigate this case with the Goodyear Police Department.
Sabino Lopez
On June 9, 2018, officers with the Tolleson Police Department responded to reports of a shooting near 91st Avenue and Garfield Street.
They found Lopez, 21, in the street, bleeding from being shot. He was taken to the hospital but died from his injuries.
Investigators learned Lopez was walking in the neighborhood when he was confronted by three males in a silver-colored SUV before the shooting.
The AG's office will investigate this case with the Tolleson Police Department.
Victoria Lacey
On Aug. 13, 2012, Lacey, 25, reportedly knocked on the door of a home near 47th and Orangewood avenues in Glendale.
She told the residents that she had been stabbed nearby and needed help. The residents called 911.
Lacey was able to tell the police her name, but didn't know who stabbed her.
"A person delivering newspapers told detectives that around 3:30 AM he had been in the area and had observed two younger Hispanic males spray painting a vehicle in the area, but he had not seen the victim and it was not known if they were involved in the stabbing," the AG's office said.
The Glendale Police Department will work with the AG's office to investigate this case.
Diana Shawcroft and Jennifer Lueth
On May 24, 1996, Shawcroft and Lueth were last seen at a Glendale convenience store around 7 p.m. The store's cashier saw a man arrive in a blue pick-up truck.
The girls spoke with the driver, got in the truck and left.
Three months later, their remains were found in Yavapai County, 100 miles north of Phoenix.
The AG's office says new evidence has been discovered recently and will be analyzed.
The Glendale Police Department will investigate this case with the AG's office.
Melody Harrison
On Aug. 6, 1992, the body of a 15-year-old girl was found in a desert area south of US 60 and Idaho Road in Apache Junction.
"The victim at the time was wearing a ‘Team Gear’ brand, size large, T-shirt with soccer balls imprinted on the front and back. She was also wearing a pair of Levi’s denim cutoff shorts and a ring on her left ring finger," the AG's office said.
In October 2023, the victim's DNA profile was used to identify the girl's remains as Harrison. In June 1992, she was reported as a missing juvenile.
The Apache Junction Police Department will work with the AG's office on this case.
Click here to learn more about the new cold case unit.