PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The man suspected of murdering a teen girl at a west Phoenix apartment took his life days after the murder, police said Tuesday night.
Authorities said 67-year-old Nohe Prado Morelia is believed to be responsible for the death of 15-year-old Kyelonna Meya Smiley.
According to Phoenix police, detectives had been working to identify the suspect in Smiley’s murder after the girl was found dead on the morning of Aug. 4 at a complex near 75th Avenue and Encanto Boulevard.
On Friday, officers responded to the area of 24th and Van Buren streets on reports of a body. Officers arrived and found a man, later identified as Morelia, dead after shooting himself.
As homicide detectives continued working on the Smiley case, they linked Morelia to the crime, but they didn’t give specifics on what connected him to the murder. However, police said no other suspects are believed to be involved in the teen’s death.
Authorities weren’t able to determine a motive for Smiley’s murder, and the department said the case is now closed.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2025 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.