Woman found dead in San Tan Valley; son charged with murder: PCSO

SAN TAN VALLEY, Arizona. – The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a woman’s body was found in the San Tan Valley on October 30.

The victim was found by a jogger in a farm field west of Gantzel Road and south of Skyline Drive around 9 a.m. Her body was found in an open field, behind piles of dirt.

About 10 minutes later, authorities said another 911 call came in. The caller, identified as the victim’s son, reported that his mother had been kidnapped.

By that time, deputies had found her body.

The victim was identified as 38-year-old Mary Collier, and authorities say her cause of death was blunt force trauma.

Authorities say the suspect is 18 years old but have not released his name. They found him in the house with self-inflicted wounds, probably from a sharp object.

The suspect was taken to hospital.

Despite earlier reports from PCSO that the woman was allegedly kidnapped, it is now claimed that no kidnapping ever took place.

PCSO says the trouble started with some kind of verbal altercation on Tuesday night, but it appears the attack happened on Wednesday morning.

The victim lived with her husband, the suspect and at least one child.

According to investigators, the suspect will be punished after being discharged from the hospital. The motive was unknown as of Wednesday afternoon.

A GoFundMe has been set up to raise money for Collier’s funeral. You can donate to by clicking here.

“I knew it was a crime scene.”

A morning jog took a terrifying turn when James Richey stumbled upon Collier’s body.

“Are you so angry that you want to kill someone? Kill your mom? Do you think so? I just don’t understand,” he said.

He remembers the scene he came across.

“It was bloody. I think I saw some stab wounds on her arms and stuff. I didn’t get too close because as soon as I saw the knife I knew it was a crime scene.”

A neighbor who wished to remain anonymous said the family kept their distance.

According to reports, a neighbor saw the suspect immediately after the murder occurred.

“I was with my dog ​​in front of the house and I saw the gentleman in question walking from the field towards the house, and then, about an hour later, my wife told me that there were police everywhere. I didn’t see anything. He wasn’t acting strange, he was just going home,” said the neighbor.

Cathy Burack, whose son lives down the street from the family, said it was disturbing to hear the news as a mother and grandmother.

“Thrilled. Devastated. We came home from shopping and saw four police vehicles there and we didn’t know what happened. I was just taking my granddaughter for a walk and I just found out about this,” Burack said.