Luzeia Larea Mae Mathis was 18 when she was last seen at her Phoenix apartment on August 20, 2019. Neighbors and acquaintances later reported she lived alone and that her phone was turned off after she disappeared. Her absence became noticed when she stopped paying rent.

On September 20, 2019, apartment management at the complex near North 35th Avenue and West Indian School Road alerted police after smelling a strong odor while attempting an eviction. Officers found two plastic bags of pillows heavily stained with blood, a bloodstained inflatable chair, cleaning products left out, bloodstains on bedroom walls and carpet, a mattress sprayed with black paint, and burnt incense in the vents. Luzeia was not in the unit; her car was missing but later recovered in downtown Phoenix with bloodstains, the smell of human decomposition, chlorine and a shovel in the trunk.

Investigators focused on Luzeia’s boyfriend, Jamal Lamar Jones, citing prior incidents of violence between them, including an aggravated assault arrest and threats sent to Mathis. Surveillance reportedly showed Jones driving Mathis’s car and purchasing a shovel, bleach and chlorine after she vanished. Luzeia’s body has not been recovered. If anyone knew Luzeia or saw her around August 20, 2019, please come forward with information.