In the early morning hours of September 18, 2019, the body of 15-year-old Erik Isaac Nañez was discovered lying on the ground at the intersection of E Calle Joya de Ventura and South Avenida Selva Del Ocote on Tucson's south side. Responding officers found that the male teen had sustained obvious signs of gunshot trauma and he was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Investigators learned that neighbors had heard gunshots the previous evening, on September 17, but no 911 calls were made at the time. Witnesses reported seeing several people and vehicles leaving the area immediately following the sound of the shots.
Detectives began a homicide investigation, interviewing numerous individuals and executing several search warrants in an effort to understand the events that led to the fatal shooting. Early in the investigation, tips from the public named potential suspects, but a lack of evidence meant no arrests could be made. Through further interviews and the analysis of forensic evidence, investigators determined that Nañez had gone to the area that night for an arranged transaction. Despite their efforts, the investigation remained active for months without a definitive suspect being identified.
A break in the case came from an entirely separate incident. On February 21, 2021, Tucson Police responded to a different fatal shooting in the parking lot of an apartment complex at 5950 S. Park Avenue. In that incident, 19-year-old Edsel Cecena-Marquez was killed during an exchange of gunfire following a physical confrontation with another individual. After a thorough investigation of Cecena-Marquez's death, the Pima County Attorney's Office declined to press charges against the other shooter.
The crucial link between the two deaths was discovered through forensic evidence. DNA recovered from the scene of Erik Nañez's murder was compared with evidence collected from the investigation into Edsel Cecena-Marquez's death. The comparison identified Cecena-Marquez as the suspect in Nañez's killing. With the suspect in the 2019 homicide now deceased himself, Tucson police notified the Nañez family of their findings and officially closed the investigation.
