Research El Mirage, Arizona homicide cases through victim records, official appeals and dated legal updates. Review discovery locations separately from confirmed incident locations.
5documented victim records
0mapped locations
5years represented
Coverage note: This initial collection contains 5 named victim records. It is not a complete historical list or an official homicide total. Dates, source locations and reported legal outcomes are labeled. Reviewed October 14, 2026.
Research guide
El Mirage cases: discovery locations and later outcomes
The initial collection spans 2001–2026. Richard Lucero’s record follows an investigation from a 2001 discovery to a 2023 murder conviction. Kristina West and Patricia Ann Cota have Silent Witness appeals, while the Rivera and Soto records describe later arrests.
Several records begin with a body discovery. West was found at Sun West Cemetery; Cota was found in an alley between Luna and El Frio streets. Those locations do not by themselves establish where the victims were killed. The date on each card tells you whether it marks discovery or the reported attack.
The city of El Mirage, Arizona is the geographic focus. A suspect’s residence, a hospital, or an intersection on El Mirage Road in another city does not determine inclusion. Rivera’s case belongs here even though a witness contacted law enforcement in Youngtown. Soto’s reported residence was Sun City, but the shooting scene was El Mirage.
A July 2024 El Mirage Police release describes the April 29 killing of a 15-year-old and subsequent arrests. The reviewed release does not name the victim, so it is not counted in this named-victim collection.
El Mirage homicide directory
Search murders and homicide cases in El Mirage
Search by victim, year, street or incident type. Discovery dates are labeled. Written locations are supported by reporting; exact map coordinates have not been verified.
5 records shown
2026-07-15 · Discovery date
Salvador Ortiz Rivera Jr.
Homicide
Luna Street north of Thunderbird Road, El Mirage
Rivera was found dead in a covered vehicle-repair pit at his home. A July 16, 2026 report says police arrested his son, Michael Rodriguez, on suspicion of second-degree murder and concealing a body. The July 15 date marks police discovery, not an established date of death. Although a witness contacted a trooper in Youngtown, the reported body location was El Mirage.
Arrest reported July 2026; allegations are not a conviction.
Laurel Lane near Dysart and Cactus roads, El Mirage
Officers responding shortly before 11 p.m. found Soto shot beside a vehicle. He died at the scene. Arizona’s Family reported that an underage suspect surrendered to police. Soto lived in Sun City, but the reported attack occurred in El Mirage.
Suspect taken into custody as reported December 7, 2025; final court outcome not established by the reviewed report.
Alley between North Luna Street and El Frio Street, El Mirage
Cota was found dead after officers responded to a report of an unresponsive woman in an alley. Silent Witness identifies the death as a homicide and requests information about people who may have moved her body. The linked flyer lists unknown suspects; this record does not attribute responsibility to a named person.
Public information appeal; Silent Witness case 2014-1826.
Sun West Cemetery, 12525 West Grand Avenue, El Mirage
Officers found West’s body at Sun West Cemetery after responding around 7:13 a.m. Silent Witness identifies her as a homicide victim and asks for information about possible suspects. The cemetery is the documented discovery location; the source does not establish that she was killed there.
Public information appeal; Silent Witness case 2012-1407 lists an unknown suspect.
Lucero was found dead at home. Arizona DPS investigated the homicide at El Mirage police’s request. Reanalysis of DNA and fingerprint evidence led to Frank Gallas Mendoza’s 2018 arrest. DPS reported that a jury convicted Mendoza of first-degree murder on August 15, 2023.
First-degree murder conviction reported by Arizona DPS in September 2023; sentence not established here.
Browse the years represented in the current directory. These are counts of records documented on this site, not official annual El Mirage homicide totals.
20261 record
20251 record
20141 record
20121 record
20011 record
Case histories
Understanding the reported case status
Lucero’s record includes a jury verdict. Cota and West have public appeals. Rivera and Soto have dated arrest reports. An arrest is not a conviction, and the publication date limits what a report establishes.
How this directory is built
About the El Mirage homicide data
Records are checked against official material and established reporting. Dates of discovery are distinguished from dates of attack. A source’s reported arrest or verdict is dated; no later outcome is assumed. Precise coordinates are left unset when the location is uncertain.
Is this a complete list of murders in El Mirage?
No. These 5 named victim records are an initial collection. Other documented incidents remain under review and are not included in this count.
Are the map pins exact crime-scene locations?
No map pins have been assigned yet. Each record gives the location described in the source, but precise scene coordinates have not been verified.
What is the difference between homicide and murder?
Homicide means one person caused another person’s death. Murder is a criminal legal classification. Case cards preserve distinctions such as homicide investigation, murder charge, conviction, unsolved case and murder-suicide rather than treating them as interchangeable.
Where do the El Mirage case sources come from?
Every card links to its supporting sources. This collection uses official material where available and local reporting, with conflicting or incomplete details explained.
Does this page include El Mirage, California?
No. This directory covers El Mirage in Arizona. Similarly named places and El Mirage Road addresses in other Valley cities are reviewed separately.