MATTHEW FLORES
A quiet Litchfield Park, Arizona, neighborhood became the center of an international manhunt after relatives requested a welfare check on Hector and Larissa Flores and their 27-year-old son, Matthew.
Inside the home, police found a significant amount of blood and evidence that someone had tried to clean up; days later, investigators discovered two bodies buried in the backyard.
Authorities say Matthew Christopher Flores Semyonov is accused of killing his parents, concealing their remains, and fleeing the United States. Now, with Matthew still at large, investigators are trying to piece together what happened inside that house—and why a family disappearance turned into a double-homicide investigation spanning international borders.
We will start with some background of the people involved in the case.
Hector Flores was born on November 3, 1956. Larissa Nikolayevna was born on January 27, 1963. We don’t know too much else yet about their personal lives, but according to Larissa’s obituary, they had at least three children – a son, a daughter and Matthew (27). Matthew’s name is reported as Matthew Christopher Flores Semyonov and some reports indicate that he was adopted, but we are unable to confirm that.
According to AZFamily.com, Hector was a professor at Cal Poly Pomona and was scheduled to teach this spring. Larissa had been working as a psychiatric nurse practitioner.
On Tuesday August 4, 2026, relatives of the family asked Avondale Police for a welfare check as they could not get in touch with Hector, Larissa or Matthew.
The caller said they had not been able to get in touch with the family since July 29. He met officers outside the home and permitted them to go inside, but did not want to go in out of fear of “what police would find in the home.”
Avondale police searched the home and did not find anyone inside, but found a disturbing clue. Avondale Police Officer Daniel Benavidez said officers discovered large amounts of blood and evidence of an attempt to clean it up, which indicated foul play.
Police believed the three disappeared under “suspicious circumstances,” and a missing persons investigation was opened.
By Thursday August 6, a search was being undertaken at the home. Drone footage captured detectives digging with shovels and a mini excavator in the backyard.
Officer Benavidez announced that two bodies were found “in a state of decomposition” in the yard.
“I can’t tell you how many hours or days, but what I can say is that the bodies are in a state of decomposition,” he said.
Police said they were also processing vehicles for evidence but did not confirm how many vehicles are involved or how they may be connected to the case. A neighbor told the media that the backyard pool next to where the bodies were found had been added just last month.
Authorities announced that they believe Matthew had fled the country and was considered a suspect in his parents’ murders.
“I can’t speak to why he fled the country. What I can say is that we believe him to be a suspect in this missing persons investigation,” the officer said.
Police spoke to neighbors about anything that they may have seen.
Two neighbors independently reported seeing a suspicious vehicle circling the neighborhood around the time of the incident.
“I was so confused and I’m honestly still so confused just seeing all this because our neighborhood is super quiet,” she said. “We don’t really have much going on here. I don’t even really see my neighbors for the most part. I don’t really see them come home. I don’t see them leave. It’s a super, super quiet neighborhood. So this is a shock to all of us. We’re all just trying to figure out what the heck is going on. And hopefully everything is good and I hope everyone’s OK.”
The neighbor said she had heard a person scream the words “please stop” the day before. She said she did not think much of it at the time.
“I was on the other side of the sidewalk and I definitely heard it come from that direction. But I was like, ‘okay, we live by a middle school, it might be nothing’, so I didn’t think more of it,” she said.
On August 7, 2026, the Avondale Police Department formally requested federal assistance to locate and apprehend Matthew. To coordinate international tracking efforts, the U.S. Marshals Service obtained a federal arrest warrant charging him with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. At the state level, he faces charges of first-degree murder – dangerous, domestic violence, and abandonment or concealment of a dead body.
Relatives have spoken about how Matthew’s behaviour had changed over the years.
Avondale police interviewed the family member who initially requested the welfare check. He revealed that Matthew’s behavior “changed a great deal in college.” He reported that Flores discovered his father had been cheating on his mother, and was upset with his mother that she had not left him.
The report says that once Matthew finished college, he moved back in with his parents and his lifestyle changed “completely.” The family member told authorities that Matthew stopped drinking alcohol and began making vague, threatening comments, such as “you’ll get what’s coming to you.”
Family members reportedly noticed Matthew stopped socializing and was diagnosed with an unknown mental health condition, redacted in the police report.
One relative recounted an incident where Larissa reportedly found him watering plants in the middle of the night because “the plants told me [Matthew] they were thirsty.’”
A family member told police that they could not think of where Matthew would go, noting that he had “no close friends or relatives.”
Officers requested a “ping” of all three’s cellphones, but discovered that they were turned off and couldn’t be located.
Michael Klinkner is a mental health expert. He believes Matthew’s mental health struggles may have been brewing for years. Klinkner said it’s impossible to diagnose someone he’s never met, but he can read between the lines.
“We’re talking about potentially positive auditory hallucinations. And in that case, it could be schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder,” he said. “So no matter what the situation is, whether he’s a psychopath, whether he’s a sociopath, whether it’s schizophrenia or any other diagnosis, this is a really scary situation and this is a really scary person. And so he has nothing to lose at this point and he knows it,” Klinkner said.
Retired FBI agent John Iannarelli said the involvement of the FBI and U.S. Marshals significantly expands the scope of the manhunt.
“The FBI has pretty far reaches, contacts with foreign law enforcement,” Iannarelli said. “They can leverage all that to help find this subject and bring them back to the U.S.”
Iannarelli said Matthew cannot safely use any form of identification, including his passport or driver’s license, because those documents are now flagged in law enforcement systems.
“He’s not going to be able to use his passport because that passport’s going to be in the system, as will his driver’s license number,” Iannarelli said. “Any official contact he has with anyone with any sort of ID is going to tip them off and that’s what’s going to get him arrested.”
That also makes obtaining legitimate employment nearly impossible, Iannarelli said.
Beyond identification, Iannarelli said simply being an American abroad could work against Flores.
“He’s going to stand out in a crowd because he’s not going to look like the local population,” Iannarelli said. “Does he speak the language? All of that is going to be a hindrance. He may have fled law enforcement in the short term, but in the long term, he’s going to get caught.”
Iannarelli also said any network of people willing to shelter Flores would carry its own risks.
“The problem with being overseas or perhaps in Mexico, you have to have people there willing to help you and are willing to risk getting in trouble with the law themselves,” he said.
“The Flores Semyonov family is devastated by recent events. They are fully cooperating with law enforcement. Because this is an ongoing investigation, the family respectfully asks for privacy during this difficult time. Their deepest gratitude is extended to their loved ones, neighbors, and the community at large who have expressed concern.”
Matthew is described as a white male, 6 feet tall and weighing approximately 177 pounds with blue eyes.
BRYANNA DUTCHER
On a quiet August night in Delaware County, Ohio, Tamela Dutcher (55) was inside her own home when a gunman allegedly walked in and shot her—then fired at her husband as he tried to help. But what turned the case into something far more complicated was the person investigators say may have been connected to the killing: Tamela’s 18-year-old daughter, Bryanna. Within days, Bryanna, her boyfriend Christian Evans, and Evans’ roommate Dajameous Payne were all facing murder charges, and investigators were examining alleged text messages and other evidence they say pointed to a plan.
Tamela Diane Dutcher was born on August 11, 1971. Her parents are Roy and Connie Dutcher. ‘Tami’ as she was known, was their youngest child and only daughter.
Tamela graduated from East High School when she was 16 in 1988. She then went to Columbus State Community College on a full scholarship. She would go on to transfer to The Ohio State University for her masters degree in social work. Tami completed her PHD at the Union Institute in Cincinnati.
On September 6, 1997, Tamela married Neil King. They had one daughter together, Bryanna.
Tamela was said to enjoy serving her patients and their families. She also loved spending time with her family on their hobby farm.
In 2002, Tamela co-authored an academic paper that focused on adolescent violence and homicide. The paper, titled “The violent and homicidal adolescent. Hearts darkened before time,” discussed patterns among young people who commit killings and different approaches to understanding adolescent violence.
As of August 2026, Bryanna was 18 years old.
On August 12, 2026, police were called to an incident involving Bryanna and her boyfriend Christian Evans (20).
According to an affidavit, Bryanna had been injured during what the two described as “rough housing,” falling and hitting her throat against a wall.
On August 13, it has been reported that Tamela and Bryanna had a fight. The fight was about cleaning.
Bryanna later told investigators that she called Christian afterward to vent about the argument. According to the affidavit, Christian allegedly responded, “If I were you, I would have killed her.”
Shortly after midnight on Friday August 14, Neil called 911 to report that his wife Tamela had been shot at their home on Bean-Oller Road.
Responding officials found Tamela with gunshot wounds. She was taken to a local hospital where she passed away.
Bryanna gave her version of events of the night. She said that her boyfriend Christian and his roommate Dajameous Payne (21) had come to her family home. “Bryanna advised that she said she wouldn’t go with [Payne and Evans] because she had responsibilities with the horses.”
Bryanna told law enforcement she was cleaning in a room with the door closed when the shooting occurred after midnight on Aug. 14. The shooting happened around 10-15 mins after the two men allegedly left the home.
She did not see anyone enter the home, and said she heard a sound “that caused her ears to ring,” according to the affidavit.
“Bryanna advised that the front door is usually locked, but wasn’t sure if it was tonight; she advised the rear door is also typically locked,” the affidavit states.
She told investigators the garage door was open and the interior door leading from the garage was unlocked, but said she would have seen someone enter the home that way.
Bryanna also told investigators there were about 100 firearms in the home and that she had previously gone shooting with her parents but was not comfortable with firearms. She gave investigators permission to collect a gunshot residue swab.
“Bryanna could not think of anyone that was angry with her family that would lead to this act; she identified a former friend of her mother who owed a lot of money as the only potential person of interest,” the affidavit states.
Bryanna’s story changed following additional questioning. She initially said that the door was closed, but later said it was open.
She remained adamant that she would have seen anyone who entered the home and walked past her. She said she did not know whether the front door was locked or unlocked.
Bryanna told authorities that she was in a relationship with a black man and that her parents were not aware of that fact.
Bryanna said her parents were “very racist” and “would likely have kicked her out of the house,” according to the affidavit.
“Bryanna was adamant that her boyfriend was okay with her parents being racist, and denied that they had any involvement in the incident,” the affidavit states.
In a weird and creepy aspect to the case, she also said Dajameous, “had threatened to kidnap her family a few months prior and that she was scared of him.”
Law enforcement utilized Flock AI cameras and observed Christian’s Camaro in the area of Columbus Pike and East Powell Road, traveling southbound at 12:44 a.m. on Aug. 14, according to the affidavit.
“Of note is that this is approximately 15-20 minutes after the shooting, and the mileage to travel from the incident location to this area is approximately eight miles,” the affidavit states.
Traffic cameras then caught the car going East on Interstate 70 at Fairview Road in Guernsey County at 5:16 a.m. The Camaro’s last sighting was on Interstate 470 East at the Ohio and West Virginia border at 5:59 a.m.
Bryanna told investigators that Christian had a friend in Wheeling, West Virginia, and said she believed he might be headed there.
Investigators later located the Camaro back at Christian’s residence while preparing to execute a search warrant, according to the affidavit.
Law enforcement observed Christian leave the residence with a garbage bag in hand and throw the garbage bag in a dumpster.
Detectives then observed the men leave the apartment and get into the Camaro.
“Detectives and deputies were able to block the vehicle in and take both parties into custody,” the affidavit states.
Neither man agreed to speak with investigators after their arrests, according to the affidavit. However, the document states that Christian said he was “sorry for what he did.”
Authorities collected a gun holster and two pairs of black pants from the trash bag Christian threw away. They also collected several electronics, a lease agreement that indicated Bryanna was on the lease with Christian, an empty pregnancy test box and wet clothing from the residence.
Two cellphones and a gun holster were also collected from the Camaro, according to the affidavit.
A neighbor of the men provided a video from an outdoor camera of the two men leaving their residence the night of the shooting. Both were dressed in black clothing, and each was wearing one glove, according to the affidavit.
The document states that Christian’s father met with detectives and showed them a text from his son that said he “fucked up.”
Christian’s father also had the Life360 tracking app enabled on his son’s phone, and authorities were able to see that Christian was in the area of the crime when it occurred.
Investigators also conducted a forensic download of Bryanna’s phone and recovered several deleted text messages, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit does not provide timestamps for the messages or present them chronologically, making it unclear from the document when each message was sent or what messages may have appeared between them.
The messages below are presented in the same order they appear in the affidavit, which does not list them chronologically:
Evans to Bryanna: They need to be hidden
Evans to Bryanna: Once they both pass away
Evans to Bryanna: Just in case
Evans to Bryanna: Also I believe you should also get a gun to
Bryanna to Evans: Alr shes living room hes basement where you’re here lmk
Evans to Bryanna: Were getting ready
Bryanna to Evans: Kk
Evans to Bryanna: Getting gloves
Evans to Bryanna: Take them both out at the same time
Bryanna to Evans: I got it
Evans to Bryanna: This has to be perfect
Bryanna to Evans: I’ll just take them down
Evans to Bryanna: How
Bryanna to Evans: Yeah will actually help
Evans to Bryanna: Shoes in the rain and all
Evans to Bryanna: You know about forensics and everything right
Evans to Bryanna: How close are you to doing this
Bryanna to Evans: River or burn
Evans to Bryanna: Come outside and grab the browning
Christian and Dajameous were arrested and charged with murder on August 14.
Bryanna was initially arrested on an obstruction of justice charge.
On August 17, prosecutors added a murder charge to Bryanna’s existing obstruction charge.
On August 20, a grand jury indicted all three for aggravated murder, replacing the earlier murder charges.
The two men appeared in court on August 21. Both pleaded not guilty to the aggravated murder charges. Christian entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.
Bryanna pleaded not guilty to her charge on August 24. The court maintained her $3 million bond. Her next major dates were set for a final pretrial hearing on Oct. 19, 2026, with trial scheduled to begin Nov. 3, 2026.
Both men are due back in court in October.
SOURCE LIST
https://abcnews.com/US/husband-wife-son-mysteriously-missing-after-foul-play/story?id=135424072
Array
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/mesa-az/larissa-flores-12996984
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/mesa-az/hector-flores-12996960
https://www.dispatch.com/obituaries/pwoo1548713