Taylor Nardo Paya Arrested in 27-Year-Old Hiker's Neck-Slash Attack, Faces Federal Charge
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 25
Taylor Nardo Paya Arrested in 27-Year-Old Hiker's Neck-Slash Attack, Faces Federal Charge
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 25
Summary
Federal authorities took 29-year-old Taylor Nardo Paya into custody after he allegedly slashed hiker Alexis Rowan, 27, in the neck and stabbed her hand on the Havasupai reservation in northern Arizona.
Doorbell footage shows Rowan fighting from the ground and bleeding heavily before a nearby woman, alerted by her screams, opened her door and scared the attacker off.
Rowan survived with 13 stitches—10 in her neck and three in her hand—after the Aug. 19 attack, which happened a day after her birthday during a hiking trip.
Police found Paya the next day by pinging Rowan's phone, which prosecutors say he stole after it fell from one of her backpacks; he was later flown into federal custody because the case occurred on tribal land.
Court records show Paya previously pleaded guilty in 2016 to robbing and assaulting another woman, and Rowan's mother said she wants him imprisoned indefinitely.