Human remains found in Litchfield Park backyard during Avondale missing persons investigation

Human remains were found buried in the backyard of a Litchfield Park home as part of a missing persons investigation involving a husband, wife and their adult son, authorities said.

The couple’s adult son, 27-year-old Matthew Flores, is a suspect in the investigation, according to the Avondale Police Department.

“Our Avondale police detectives, with the assistance of the Phoenix homicide unit, are in the process of recovering two unidentified bodies in the backyard of this residence,” officer Daniel Benavidez said in a Thursday news conference.

Flores is believed to have fled the country before officers conducted a welfare check at a home near Indian School Road and Wigwam Boulevard on Tuesday.

A family member helped officers enter the home, where they found signs of foul play.

“We identified a large amount of blood, and we also identified what we believe is evidence in an attempt to conceal that blood,” Benavidez said. “The bodies are in a state of decomposition.”

No one was inside the residence at the time.

On Thursday morning, detectives found the human remains buried in the home’s backyard. Police have not yet identified who the remains belonged to.

To respect the family’s wishes, police have not released the names of the husband and wife.

The missing persons case has now been elevated to a homicide investigation.

Anyone with information about Flores’ whereabouts is asked to call the Avondale Police Department at 623-333-7001 or contact Silent Witness.

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