YUMA COUNTY, Ariz. — Police have identified a suspect related to the deaths of a man and woman who were found deceased Wednesday evening inside a residence in southern Arizona. Officials are investigating their deaths as a possible homicide.
The Yuma County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to a call of a possible burglary at a Yuma residence on Chico Lane. The reporting party had gone over to the home to check on an elderly couple, 82-year-old Manuel Marquez and 79-year-old Patricia Marquez, lived there.
During a search of the property, deputies found the couple dead.
YCSO has not released the cause of death, but is considering the incident as a homicide.
The Yuma County Sheriff's Office, with the assistance of the Yuma Police Department, served a search warrant at a residence on Friday May 3. The suspect, identified as Romeo Arellano, 19, was arrested and booked into the Yuma County Detention Center. The Yuma teenager is facing charges of two counts of premeditated first degree murder.
The case remains under investigation and anyone with information can call 928-783-4427.
<< This story will be updated as additional information becomes available. Stay with 12News for the latest.
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What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.
