Son tells cops his mom was kidnapped, but he’s accused of killing her, AZ deputies say
An 18-year-old man is accused of killing his mother before trying to mislead authorities by saying she had been kidnapped, Arizona deputies said.
A jogger discovered Mary Collier’s body on a farm field shortly after 9 a.m. Oct. 30 in San Tan Valley, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.
James Richey told Arizona’s Family he thought her body was a “Halloween scarecrow” or a prop.
“As I got closer and closer and closer it was starting to look like a real person,” Richey told the news outlet.
Then less than 10 minutes later, deputies got a 911 call from Collier’s son, saying his mother had been kidnapped, authorities said.
Deputies said they soon identified him as the suspect in her death.
He was found with self-inflicted wounds and taken to a hospital. Once he’s released, deputies said the 18-year-old will be taken to jail on suspicion of first-degree murder.
Investigators said Collier had walked to the field with her son, and she was killed there.
A medical examiner will determine her cause of death.
“I just don’t know how someone could be so mad and angry that that their first thought is to go and just like, kill somebody, let alone your mother,” Richey told KPNX.
San Tan Valley is about a 45-mile drive southeast from Phoenix.
This story was originally published October 31, 2024 at 6:29 PM with the headline "Son tells cops his mom was kidnapped, but he’s accused of killing her, AZ deputies say."
