A suspect died in custody after being apprehended for leaving a man strapped to a wheelchair to die along a Phoenix canal.
Troy Wright, 45, was detained Thursday. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office verified that Wright was discovered dead at Lower Buckeye Jail this weekend.
Officers discovered 33-year-old Aaron Goodyke dead in a wheelchair near 24th Street and Fawn Drive on June 25 around 8:30 p.m., just south of Baseline Road.
Police stated that his hands and chest were tied to the wheelchair using plastic bags.
Two witnesses told investigators that they saw Goodyke earlier that evening while walking on the opposite side of the canal. Temperatures were around 105 degrees at the time.
Witnesses reported that Goodyke seemed to be tied up and babbling. They subsequently informed their daughter, who went to examine the area and discovered him dead.
Officers went to Goodyke’s last known residence and spoke with a woman who said she saw him being restrained and one of the suspects was her son, Hector Corrales, 41, according to recently disclosed court records.
According to court records, surveillance video from the home showed Wright wheeling Goodyke out and, with Corrales, holding Goodyke down while he attempted to break free.
Wright was subsequently shown on film pulling Goodyke north toward the canal, according to court records.
Another video camera near the canal captured a man in black clothing pushing a man in a wheelchair down the canal at 7 p.m. According to court documents, the identical individual was seen one minute later running in the opposite direction.
Police believe the shoe prints near Goodyke’s body correspond to the shoes Wright was wearing when he was captured on film restraining Goodyke.
Corrales faces charges of kidnapping and first-degree murder. Wright was facing the same allegations when he died in jail. The MCSO is investigating the cause of his death.
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