Police say they solved decade-old Arizona murder case, but suspect is already dead

PHOENIX — Tucson police say a decade-old murder case has been solved, but the suspect identified in the killing of a 79-year-old man died before he could be arrested.

The Tucson Police Department’s Cold Case Unit announced that detectives linked Larry Kenneth Woods, 39, to the 2014 slaying of Leroy Baillie, who was found dead in his north Tucson apartment.

The 2014 murder case

Baillie was discovered on Nov. 19, 2014, after apartment maintenance workers reported a foul odor coming from his unit and called 911.

Officers found Baillie’s body bound and bearing signs of blunt force trauma. His body had been there for so long, investigators could not determine the full extent of his injuries, Tucson police said in a news release about the case.

Detectives found someone who was using Baillie’s bank accounts without authorization weeks before his body was found.

Surveillance footage and forensic evidence showed Woods using Baillie’s bank cards. Woods had been seen at Baillie’s apartment and was arrested days before the body was discovered while carrying Baillie’s financial documents, police said.

Investigators concluded Woods had accessed the victim’s financial information before the killing, likely without consent. Despite the evidence, detectives were unable to file charges at the time.

The case gets cracked a decade later

The Cold Case Unit reopened the investigation in 2026 and uncovered enough additional evidence to get an arrest warrant.

Instead, detectives discovered that Woods had died in September 2024 in Maricopa County from blunt force trauma. The manner of his death was listed as undetermined, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Had Woods been alive, he would have been arrested for Baillie’s murder, police said.

The department is submitting the cold case for exceptional clearance. That is a special designation used when investigators have identified a suspect and gathered enough evidence for an arrest but are unable to proceed due to circumstances outside their control.

Detectives said they notified Baillie’s family of the outcome.

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