Jose Valenzuela. (Pinal County Sheriff’s Office)
A man has been taken into custody as a person of interest in the deaths of an Arizona couple who were found Thursday buried on a property near their Maricopa home, the Arizona Republic reports.
Jose Valenzuela, 38, was being held on $2 million on suspicion of first-degree murder, according to the Pinal County Detention Center’s website.
Michael and Tina Careccia were last seen on June 22, KTAR-TV reports.
Michael Careccia, 44, was a pilot and his 42-year-old wife worked as an accountant at a Chandler, Arizona, construction company. They married last year and both have children from previous relationships. Michael has two sons and Tina has two sons and a daughter.
Sources told ABC 15 that Valenzuela has done work for the Careccia family in the past.
Here’s what you need to know about Valenzuela and the case:
1. The Couple Was Fatally Shot & Then Buried on Property Owned by Valenzuela, Police Say
Police at the property where the two bodies were found. (Pinal County Sheriff’s Office via Facebook)
Police said the couple was fatally shot with a .22-caliber pistol and then buried, the Arizona Republic reports.
Sheriff’s deputies searched behind a property near the couple’s home on Wednesday and Thursday and found two bodies.
Valenzuela lives at the property where the couple was found, police said.
The property is not far from where the couple’s car was abandonded, according to the Arizona Republic.
Private investigator Stan Williams told the newspaper that because the area is rural and dotted with abandoned cars and buildings it is “great place to hide stuff.”
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement:
Our search of the property on West Papago Road has led to the recovery of two bodies, a man and women that we believe to be Mike and Tina Careccia. … Family members of the Careccia’s have just been notified of the recovery and arrest. Our investigators and staff continue to carefully gather evidence that we believe will prove critical to our investigation and result in a stronger criminal case.
A press conference has been scheduled for noon, local time, to provide more information.
2. He Told Police He Was High on Meth When He Killed the Couple
Valenzuela told police he was high on methamphetamine when he killed the couple, police said at a news conference.
“Essentially he confessed,” Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said.
Babeu said Valenzula told detectives he had known the couple for two years and they had used meth together in the past. He said he went to the couple’s home the day before they went missing, which was Father’s Day, and brought meth with him. They went to his home later that day and got into a fight with Valenzuela, who brandished a weapon, Babeu said.
Tina Careccia’s brother had previously said he believed the crime was drug-related.
Valenzuela has a criminal record including convictions for assault and felony DUI.
3. Valenzuela Borrowed a Backhoe to Bury the Couple
Michael and Tina Careccia. (Facebook)
Sheriff Babeu said Valenzuela borrowed a backhoe from a friend and used it to bury the couple’s bodies.
“What he did was he built, not a makeshift grave, but an actual 6-foot grave,” Babeu said at a news conference. “He put these victims in that grave and buried them.”
Babeu said they had a hard time finding the grave because Valenzuela piled debris and other materials on top of it.
4. The Couple Left Their Home for Work & Were Not Seen Again
Michael and Tina Careccia. (Facebook)
Friends and family say the couple left for work at about 5 a.m. on June 22, and then were not seen again after that. Michael Careccia’s 17-year-old son reported his father and stepmother missing at about 7 p.m. Listen to his 911 call below:
The couple’s car was found about a mile from their home, covered in dirt, police said.
According to KPHO, the couple had an appointment that morning and Tina Careccia had to run an errand for her boss. The news station reported that Tina left her purse at her home, which had the item she was going to deliver for her boss inside.
“We knew there was foul play from the get go. There’s no reason why they wouldn’t come home or be missing or not contact us,” the couple’s brother-in-law, Geoff Dugan, said Wednesday at a news conference.
5. Friends & Family Started a Facebook Page to Help Find the Careccias
A missing poster created by friends and family. (Facebook)
A Facebook page “Help us find Tina and Mike” had 13,000 likes on Thursday. A statement posted on the page after news that the couple had been found dead said, “At this time we want to thank you all for all your efforts and ask to please respect the privacy of the family and friends who are struggling right now.”
