Man arrested on murder charge after 75-year-old found dead in Phoenix apartment

Police have identified and arrested the man accused of killing a 75-year-old man found dead inside a Phoenix apartment earlier this week.

Mateo Celaya was booked on one count of second-degree murder after detectives interviewed him Thursday, according to the Phoenix Police Department.

Officers originally attempted to interview Celaya at a local hospital on Wednesday, but authorities delayed the interrogation until the following day due to his medical condition.

The investigation began around 6:40 p.m. Wednesday when officers were called to perform a welfare check at an apartment near 10th Street and Devonshire Avenue, just north of Indian School Road.

Police said the victim’s daughter went to check on her father, identified as Fred Celaya, after not hearing from him for several days.

First responders found Fred Celaya inside the apartment suffering from obvious signs of trauma. Phoenix Fire Department personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.

While officers were processing the scene, dispatchers received a call from Mateo Celaya at a nearby hospital, where he indicated he wanted to confess to harming the victim. Officers responded to the facility and detained him.

Police have not publicly clarified the familial relationship, if any, between Mateo Celaya and Fred Celaya.

The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the official cause of death as the investigation remains ongoing.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s David Iversen contributed to this report. 

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