An international manhunt is underway for Matthew Flores, 27, after authorities found the bodies of his parents buried in the backyard of their Litchfield Park, Arizona home on Friday.
Flores’ mother and father were the individuals found dead.
The Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner has listed pending autopsies for a couple in their 60s named Hector and Larissa Flores, with the date the bodies were exhumed listed as the date of death.
Officers were called to the home to conduct a welfare check for three people—a husband, wife and their son Matthew Flores, 27—on Tuesday, according to the Avondale Police Department.
Avondale Police Officer Daniel Benavidez said: “Family members of this residence called us reporting that they expected their mother, father and adult son to be at the residence.”
Officers found the house empty during the welfare check but found evidence suggesting foul play.
They found signs of a struggle and a significant amount of blood inside the residence.
Benavidez said: “What I can say that we identified is a large amount of blood, and we also identified what we believed is evidence in an attempt to conceal that blood.”
A mini excavator was needed to get the bodies out of the backyard.
Benavidez said: “I can’t tell you how many hours or days, but what I can say is that the bodies are in a state of decomposition.”
The FBI and U.S. Marshals service are involved in the search for Flores, who officials believe has fled the country.
People who knew Flores told FOX 10 they were surprised he is considered a suspect, adding they knew him to be a kind and sweet man.
Forensic psychologist Dr. John Delatorre analyzed the behavior surrounding the crime, noting a mixture of deliberation and panic. Inside the home, investigators found evidence of attempts to conceal the crime and clean up the blood left behind. “He spent a long time because he buried the bodies, but why not clean up the scene better?” Delatorre said, questioning why the suspect did not buy himself more time.
“It seems more panicked, and escaping seems like a panic move when he didn’t necessarily need to do that,” Delatorre said.
Van Bayless, acting U.S. Marshal for the District of Arizona, said he and his leadership team reached out to Avondale Police after the case came out. “We’re ready and willing to assist,” Bayless said.
Bayless said “It’s just a matter of time until they’re going to be caught.”
In the viral moment that kicked off the investigation, a missing persons welfare check on Tuesday afternoon revealed the horrors inside the home near Litchfield Road and Wigwam Boulevard.
When officers arrived, they found signs of a struggle and a significant amount of blood inside the residence, and a search of the property quickly led them to the backyard, where they discovered two shallow graves.
On August 6, investigators found two unidentified bodies buried in the property’s backyard.
The Flores Semyonov family released a statement: “The Flores Semyonov family is devastated by recent events. 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.”
At this point, investigators are not saying where they believe Flores has fled to.