Man Charged With Murder After 18-Year-Old He’d Dated Is Found Dead In Bed Of His Truck

A Tennessee man was arrested Tuesday after allegedly killing an 18-year-old and going on the run, the Knoxville Police Department announced.

Juan Carlos Diaz Perez, 20, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Suceli Perez, whose body was found in the bed of his truck, according to a press release.

Investigation began Monday when police said they received a report that a man had “gravely injured his girlfriend” at a home. Officers who arrived at the residence found “evidence of a potentially deadly assault,” but neither the victim nor the suspect was there, the press release said.

According to police, Diaz Perez fled the scene in his white pickup truck, which was later found with Perez’s body but without Diaz Perez. Preliminary investigation indicated that she died of blunt force trauma.

U.S. Marshals then located Diaz Perez at a local quarry, and he was taken into custody.

Jorge Portillo, Perez’s uncle, told NBC affiliate WBIR that she and Diaz Perez were no longer romantically involved, but that Diaz Perez had called her Monday to tell her that he was sick. Portillo believed it was a trap to get his niece to Diaz Perez’s home.

It’s unclear whether Diaz Perez has legal representation at this time. The Knox County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.

Perez leaves behind a 2-year-old daughter, according to a GoFundMe page started by Portillo. Her family is raising money to transport Perez’s remains to her home country of Honduras.

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