In early February 2019, the life of 32-year-old Natasha Arredondo was tragically cut short in what authorities would later describe as a murder-suicide. The devastating chain of events began to unfold on a Friday night when the Goodyear Police Department reached out to their counterparts in Apache Junction for assistance in locating Stuart Milne, Arredondo's 30-year-old boyfriend.
Concerns were mounting that Milne was armed and suicidal, having made troubling statements regarding Arredondo.
Apache Junction police soon located Milne's vehicle and initiated a traffic stop. As officers were issuing commands, Milne, who was on the phone with a Goodyear police negotiator, refused to show his right hand. During the conversation with the negotiator, Milne made statements indicating he had done something terrible and deserved retribution, alluding to an incident involving Arredondo. Shortly after, a single gunshot was heard from inside the vehicle. Officers approached and found Milne deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The search for Natasha Arredondo came to a heartbreaking end the following morning. Her body was discovered in an industrial park in Apache Junction, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Earlier, family members had reported her missing after her young son was found alone at their San Tan Valley home. Investigators believe that Milne shot and killed Arredondo before he was located by law enforcement. The couple had been seen together at their home before the incident. Arredondo was remembered as a correctional officer and a loving mother.
