Arizona Man Named Suspect After Parents' Bodies Found Buried in Backyard, Police Say He Fled the Country

Police in Avondale, Arizona are searching for a 27-year-old man they say fled the country after his parents disappeared from their Litchfield Park home and their bodies were later found buried in the backyard.

Officers went to the home on a Tuesday to conduct a welfare check on three residents: a husband, his wife, and their adult son, Matthew Flores, according to the Avondale Police Department. The house was empty when officers arrived.

Inside, they found what Officer Daniel Benavidez described at a Thursday news conference as "a large amount of blood," along with what he said investigators believed was an attempt to conceal it. Benavidez said that evidence pointed to foul play and led detectives to open a missing persons investigation into all three family members.

Police discovered the bodies buried in the backyard of the home on Thursday, according to Newsweek. A mini excavator was used to recover the remains, Fox News reported. Benavidez said the remains were in a state of decomposition and had not yet been formally identified. Police are withholding the names of the deceased at the family's request, though officials have said the victims are believed to be Flores' parents.

Flores is now named as a suspect. Police say he left the country, but Sergeant Jenny Chavez, an Avondale police spokesperson, told Newsweek that investigators are "not releasing any location-specific information regarding the suspect's whereabouts or any locations to which he may have fled." Benavidez was similarly vague at the press conference, saying only, "I can't give you specifics on where to look in the world. All I can say is he fled the country."

The FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service are assisting Avondale police in the search, according to both Fox News and Newsweek. Investigators have processed three vehicles connected to the case for evidence, Chavez said.

Neighbors described hearing a disturbance at the home around the time the family vanished. Alec Rogers told Fox affiliate FOX 10 that he heard "a little bit of yelling" on Tuesday morning but couldn't identify who it came from. Rogers said he knew the father as friendly, someone he'd greet in passing but never spoke with at length. A second, unnamed neighbor told Arizona's Family she heard someone scream "please stop" from the direction of the house that same morning, but initially dismissed it given the home's proximity to a middle school.

People who know Flores told FOX 10 they were surprised by his status as a suspect, describing him as kind. A representative for the family released a statement calling the situation devastating.

"The Flores Semyonov family is devastated by recent events," the statement read. "They are fully cooperating with law enforcement. Because this is an ongoing investigation, the family respectfully asks for privacy during this difficult time. Their deepest gratitude is extended to their loved ones, neighbors, and the community at large who have expressed concern."

Avondale police have not said how long the remains were in the ground before discovery, and Chavez told Newsweek that detectives "continue to actively investigate this case."