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Phoenix man buckled dead girlfriend into her own Mercedes, drove her home and tucked her into bed: Gilbert PD

By
Crime and Public Safety
Published August 12, 2026 5:44 PM MST
Published August 12, 2026 5:44 PM MST
article

Kristopher Michael Lauchner (Maricopa County)

The Brief

    • Kristopher Lauchner, 52, faces multiple felony charges after Gilbert police found his girlfriend’s decomposed body in her bed following days of missed calls and suspicious text messages sent from her phone.
    • Investigators say Lauchner dressed the victim after a fatal hotel overdose, buckled her into her own car, drove her home, tucked her into bed and pawned her jewelry rather than calling 911 out of "self-preservation."
    • Police captured Lauchner outside a Phoenix apartment complex following a brief foot chase, recovering the victim's handgun from a fanny pack he was wearing.

GILBERT, Ariz. - A Phoenix man is facing a string of felony charges after court documents reveal he allegedly carried his dead girlfriend out of a hotel room, buckled her body into the passenger seat of her car and tucked her into bed at her Gilbert home after she overdosed.

What we know:

Kristopher Michael Lauchner, 52, was arrested Tuesday by Gilbert police outside a Phoenix apartment complex following an attempt to run from officers. He faces multiple felony charges, including abandoning or concealing a dead body, second-degree burglary, trafficking stolen property, unlawful use of means of transportation and being a prohibited possessor in control of a firearm.

Timeline:

According to Maricopa County court records, the investigation began on Aug. 8 when Gilbert police officers conducted a welfare check at a home near Islands Drive and McQueen Road. Family members had not heard from the victim since Aug. 4. When an adult niece entered the home using a hideaway key, she noticed her aunt’s dogs unattended, locked interior doors and a foul odor coming from the master bedroom. Officers opened the bedroom door and discovered the woman’s body in a late state of decomposition, hidden beneath bed covers.

Investigators found numerous prescription and illicit pills in the bedroom, though an autopsy performed on Aug. 10 revealed no initial signs of physical trauma or natural disease. As police probed further, family members noted suspicious text messages sent from the victim’s phone after Aug. 4, offering unusual excuses for why she could not answer incoming calls.

Detectives quickly linked Lauchner to the woman's home and disappearance. Lauchner, who had a history of domestic violence involving the victim, was subject to a court-mandated no-contact order and assigned an ankle monitor. Court records say his court-ordered tracking device had not functioned since July 12, when it last pinged at the victim's home.

Surveillance footage and police records pieced together Lauchner’s movements after the woman's death. Camera footage from inside the victim's kitchen captured Lauchner on Aug. 5 wearing a handgun in his waistband, about one hour before he pawned a diamond ring and necklace belonging to the victim at a Tempe pawn shop. Additional security video from Aug. 7 showed Lauchner in the kitchen wearing work gloves and repositioning an interior security camera away from the room.

When police located Lauchner on Aug. 11 at a relative's apartment complex on Thunderbird Road in Phoenix, he tried to flee on foot before officers detained him. Authorities recovered a Smith & Wesson handgun belonging to the victim inside a fanny pack Lauchner was wearing.

What they're saying:

During a post-arrest interview, Lauchner reportedly told detectives that he and the victim were taking drugs together at a Valley hotel between the night of Aug. 4 and the morning of Aug. 5. After noticing she had become unresponsive, Lauchner claimed he performed CPR but refrained from calling emergency services out of "self-preservation," knowing he was violating his pretrial release conditions.

Lauchner admitted to leaving the hotel to change his ankle monitor battery at a Phoenix residence before returning for the victim's body. He told police he dressed her, buckled her into the front passenger seat of her Mercedes, drove to her Gilbert home and carried her body inside to her bed. He reportedly admitted to then covering her with a comforter, taking her car and using her phone to send text messages to relatives so they would not worry.

Lauchner, who admitted to selling the jewelry for cash and driving the victim’s vehicle without permission, denied directly causing her death.

What's next:

A judge denied bond for Lauchner on Wednesday, citing that he was on felony release when he allegedly handled his girlfriend's body. His next court hearing is scheduled for Aug. 18.

Map of the area where the body was found:

Crime and Public SafetyPhoenixGilbertTempeNews