On the morning of April 14, 2021, 56-year-old Gladis Mophecha was found dead inside her home on West Allens Peak Drive in San Tan Valley, Arizona. A friend discovered her, and Pinal County Sheriff’s Office deputies who responded around 10:00 a.m. treated the scene as a homicide after identifying a suspect present in the residence.

The suspect was Gladis’s adult son, 29-year-old Taboh Mopecha, who was taken into custody and arrested on charges of first-degree murder; he also had outstanding warrants at the time of arrest. Investigators asked nearby residents to review home security camera footage for a Black male about 5 feet 9 inches tall who may have been seen on foot or riding a black mountain bike with thin tires between the afternoon of April 13 and the morning of April 14.

Anyone who saw that person in the area or who has information about Gladis Mophecha’s death is asked to come forward.