In the early morning hours of September 8, 2024, Chanti Dixon, a 30-year-old female, finished her shift at work in Indianapolis, Indiana, and ordered an Uber to take her home. This ride would tragically be her last. Her family grew worried when they didn't hear from her and reported her missing the following day. Their worst fears were realized when her body was discovered on September 9, 2024, naked with gunshot wounds, behind a concrete barrier in a wooded area at the dead end of Wagner
Lane.
The investigation into her disappearance and death quickly led police to the Uber driver who had picked her up, 29-year-old Francisco Valadez. Initially, Valadez gave detectives conflicting stories about what had transpired during the ride. However, he eventually confessed to the brutal crime. Valadez admitted to shooting Chanti in the head while he was in the process of trying to have sex with her in the back of his vehicle. He claimed that a comment she made angered him, leading to the fatal shooting. After killing her, he dragged her body from his car and left her behind the concrete barrier.
Francisco Valadez was arrested and charged with murder, rape, and abuse of a corpse. He initially pleaded not guilty to the charges. Later, in a plea agreement, Valadez pleaded guilty to murder. In exchange for his guilty plea, the charges of rape and abuse of a corpse were dismissed. A judge sentenced him to 45 years in the Indiana Department of Correction. He is also required to register as a sexually violent offender.
