Updated

Updated · FOX 10 News Phoenix · Aug 5

Avondale Police Probe 3 Family Members' Disappearance After Welfare Check Finds Signs of Foul Play

Updated

Updated · FOX 10 News Phoenix · Aug 5

Avondale Police Probe 3 Family Members' Disappearance After Welfare Check Finds Signs of Foul Play

Q: What drove a son to allegedly bury his parents in their backyard and flee the country?

There is no verified public evidence yet showing what motivated Matthew Flores to allegedly kill his parents, bury them in the backyard and flee the country. What authorities have said is limited but significant. Avondale police began the case after relatives requested a welfare check at the Litchfield Park home. Inside, officers found a large amount of blood and signs someone had tried to clean it up. Two bodies, believed to be the missing husband and wife, were later found buried in the backyard in a state of decomposition. Police now consider 27-year-old Matthew Flores, the couple’s adult son, a suspect and say they believe he left the United States before the welfare check. Police have not released a motive, and they have specifically declined to discuss whether Flores had a criminal or mental health history. They also have not publicly described any known family conflict, financial dispute or triggering event. Neighbors reported hearing yelling and one person said she heard someone scream “please stop,” but those accounts do not establish why the killings may have happened. At this stage, the strongest fact pointing to Flores is investigators’ belief that he fled the country and the physical evidence at the home, including the alleged cleanup and backyard burial. But the question of what drove him remains unanswered pending further evidence, interviews and court filings. Until police or prosecutors present that evidence, any explanation for motive would be speculation.

3 articles · Updated · FOX 10 News Phoenix · Aug 5

Three residents of a Litchfield Park home—a husband, wife and adult son—were declared missing after Avondale officers entered the house Tuesday for a welfare check and found indications of foul play.
Police have not released the family's names or said what evidence pointed to foul play, but detectives are processing the residence near Litchfield Road and Wigwam Boulevard as an active investigation.
Officer Daniel Benavidez said investigators do not believe there is an active threat and are treating the case as an isolated incident within the home.
A neighbor reported hearing yelling near the house Tuesday morning, and police are asking residents to review Ring or other security-camera footage from the past few days and call 623-333-7000 or 7001 with tips.