Police in Indianapolis have arrested a driver for the ride-share company Uber on suspicion that he murdered his passenger, 30-year-old Chanit Dixon.
Dixon’s family reported her missing on Monday, September 10 after she took an Uber ride home from work and was not heard from again. That same day, police received reports of a dead body found in the woods near a residential part of Indianapolis, and it turned out to be Dixon. Investigators say her body had a gunshot wound.
Detectives pinned Francisco Valadez, 29, as the suspect, and he was arrested and charged with murder. Police say they think Valadez picked up Dixon while driving for Uber just before the murder took place.
Investigators found her body with a gunshot wound on the left side of her head, and two of Dixon’s cell phones were found nearby. Using information on the victim’s phone, police were able to trace contact back to Valadez. Arrest paperwork indicates that Valadez told cops that he dropped Dixon off alive, but that a man tried to rob her afterward and shot her in her leg.
But after he was taken in for questioning, Valadez changed his story twice before confessing to killing the woman. It appears that Valadez was trying to rape her, and some reports state that he confessed to violating her in the back of his car before murdering Dixon and dumping her body. She was found naked.
The suspect will stay in jail and is expected to make his first court appearance on September 12; it is unknown whether he is represented by a lawyer.
Uber immediately banned Valadez from working for the company, according to a spokesman. The company issued a statement saying they were heartbroken over what happened to Dixon, and promised to cooperate with police for the duration of the investigation.
Catherine Cummings, assistant chief of police, said cops believe the tragedy was at least an isolated one. Police chief Chris Bailey added that people should not be afraid to book rideshares as the form of transportation is safe. That may not make much difference to single women who may be leery about getting a ride from a stranger.
