Early in the investigation of the 2008 death of Ms. Kay Read, Tucson Police detectives identified 36-year old Luis Vargas as a potential suspect in the homicide. Vargas was sentenced to prison for an unrelated incident later in 2008, where he has remained since.
After years of continued investigation by Tucson Police Detectives, and in collaboration with the Pima County Attorney’s Office, an arrest has now been made. On November 24th, 2014, Mr. Vargas was charged and arraigned at the Pima County Jail for 1 count of 1st Degree Murder, 1 count of 2nd Degree Burglary and 1 count of Kidnapping.
On February 15th, 2008, Ms. Read’s family reported that she had gone missing from her residence in the 7300 block of East Marigold Circle. Ms. Read was 62-years old and needed crutches and/or leg braces to walk. Her crutches and leg braces were still inside the residence when she was reported missing. Her van was also missing from the residence. Approximately two hours after she was reported missing, police learned that her van had been set on fire in the parking lot of a nearby business. Due to the suspicious circumstances, the incident was investigated as a homicide.