Suspect arrested in murder of Lauren Heike, Arizona hiker found dead

A suspect has been arrested in connection with the murder of Lauren Heike, an Arizona woman killed during a solo hike, police said.

A man in his 20s was taken into custody Thursday at his home, located just a mile away from where Heike lived, Sgt. Melissa Soliz of the Phoenix Police Department said. She did not identify him, but video from Telemundo Arizona shows him sitting on a curb and then lying down on his back while handcuffed.

“With this information, we hope that the community tonight can rest a little easier knowing that this person is off the streets,” Soliz said.

The arrest comes less than a week after 29-year-old Heike was found dead along a desert-area hiking trail in northeast Phoenix. Police said she was “viciously” attacked from behind and “fatally injured” during her hike Friday evening.

Her body was discovered by a passerby the following morning.

Heike sustained “trauma to her body,” though her exact cause of death has not been disclosed, according to authorities. A motive was also unclear.

Her mother, Lana Heike, called her daughter “beautiful inside and out.”

“She had such a kind heart. Everybody who met her, loved her. She was super funny. She was just a sweet child — just everything to us,” she told reporters during a press conference earlier this week.

Her father, Jeff, added: “She was my little girl. I’m going to miss her terribly.”

The man arrested is the same person seen running in a short surveillance clip released amid the days-long manhunt. Police previously described the suspect as being between 5-foot-8 and 6 feet tall.