On a tragic evening in Tolleson, Arizona, four-year-old Ariah Arismendez, a Hispanic female, became a victim of a devastating act of violence that also claimed the life of her older sister. The events unfolded on October 16, 2016, inside a home where Ariah and her five-year-old sister, Audrey, were visiting their father for the weekend. It was there that authorities would later uncover a scene of profound loss, a place where childhood innocence met a brutal and untimely end.
That night,
a neighbor's call to the police reporting gunshots was soon followed by another from the girls' mother, Carmen Arismendez, who was concerned for the welfare of her children and ex-husband, Jerad Joseph Arismendez. When officers from the Phoenix Police Department entered the residence on West Elmwood Street, they found a heartbreaking scene. Jerad Arismendez and his daughter Audrey were already deceased inside a bedroom. Ariah was found critically injured and was rushed to a nearby hospital, but tragically, she succumbed to her injuries.
Investigators quickly determined that the incident was a murder-suicide. The evidence indicated that 36-year-old Jerad Arismendez had shot his two young daughters before taking his own life. The tragedy was compounded by the revelation that the children's mother had sought and obtained an order of protection against her ex-husband just months prior, in June of that year. Court records detailed a history of violent tendencies and harassment, with Carmen Arismendez expressing fear for her safety. She had reported that he had previously placed her in a chokehold and had taken her phones to prevent her from calling for help. He had also allegedly harassed her with constant phone calls.
The community was left to mourn the loss of two bright and happy little girls, described by their cousin as being 'so full of life and happiness and adventure.' A joint investigation was conducted by the Phoenix Police Department and the Department of Child Safety, which confirmed that the deaths were the result of a homicide by their father. Prior to the fatal incident, there had been a report of physical abuse by Jerad Arismendez in 2004 involving a sibling of the victims. As the sole perpetrator, Jerad Arismendez's death concluded the investigation, leaving a family and a community to grapple with the senseless loss of Ariah and Audrey.
