Police arrest suspect after woman found dead on Arizona hiking trail

Police hunting the killer of Arizona resident Lauren Heike arrested a suspect Thursday evening. Heike’s lifeless body was discovered on a hiking trail earlier this week near her Phoenix based home.

Authorities previously described her death as the result of severe trauma.

“With this information we hope that the community tonight can rest a little easier knowing that this person is off the streets,” police spokesperson Sergeant Melissa Soliz explained during a Thursday evening press conference.

Police reportedly have linked the suspect, whose name has not been released to the press, to the incident with DNA evidence, CBS 5 reported.

While police did not release the name of the individual, they did confirm that a young adult male seen in video footage previously released by police was the same suspect the investigation is now focused on.

Law enforcement agents have not said whether the suspect had any known link to Heike or whether the killing was a random event.

Phoenix homicide detective, Lt. James Hester said on Wednesday that police believe Heike was assaulted from behind. He called the attacker’s move “heinous.”