An Indianapolis-based Uber driver is now behind bars after he admitted to assaulting and killing a female passenger in a “disgusting” attack.
According to Fox59, 29-year-old Francisco Valadez was arrested on Tuesday, Sept. 10, by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department homicide detectives. He was preliminarily charged with murder.
Law enforcement officials reported that Valdez allegedly admitted to shooting and killing 30-year-old female passenger Chanti Dixon in a fit of rage after picking her up from work on Sunday, Sept. 8. The Uber driver also admitted to assaulting the female passenger before killing her during the disgusting attack.
Following the attack, Valdez allegedly revealed he dumped Dixon’s body in an alleyway in a wooded area near her home.
“This is just disgusting all around and it did not have to happen,” Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Chris Bailey stated.
Police were called to the 1800 block of Wagner Lane on Monday, Sept. 10, where a female body was found. The woman was discovered naked, unresponsive, and lying on her stomach.
Dixon’s family stated they tracked her phone to the woods behind her home where they discovered her body. They then called the authorities. She was later identified as Dixon.
While processing the crime scene, law enforcement observed Dixon had a suffered gunshot wound to the left side of her head.
Dixon’s mother stated she had been missing since early Sunday morning after getting off work around 3:30 a.m. She had taken an Uber home, but no one had seen or heard from her since.
The Uber Driver Involved in the Female Passegner’s Death Was Quickly Identified
Detectives revealed that Dixon had ordered an Urbeer at 3:34 a.m. from the 2300 block of W. 16th Street. She had apparently made one stop along Washington Street in the Uber before the vehicle headed towards her home on Earhart Street.
The Uber driver had driven a BMW with an Indiana license plate. Detectives then identified the driver as Valadez, who had lived on Aristocrat Circle.
Authorities went to Valadez’s residence and questioned him. The Uber driver claimed he did pick up Dixon in the early hours of Sunday. However, he ended up telling detectives a story about an armed Black man approaching his vehicle and attempting to rob Dixon.
“[Valadez] added that the suspect shot [Dixon] in the thigh and that she kicked herself out of his car and he fled the scene,” law enforcement shared. “He also said that he had cleaned the blood out of his car.”
Detectives then spoke to Valadez’s mother, who told them that he owned a gun that he regularly carried. She said he recently cleaned out his vehicle and that the items were still inside.
The detectives then seized items in the vehicle for evidence and took Valadez in for more questioning.
Amid the interrogation, Valadez admitted to his crime, but not after he shared two different stories about what happened to Dixon. Valadez admitted to sexually assaulting Dixon in the back of his vehicle. Valadez then recalled her insulting his body as he was assaulting her. The comments enraged him so much that he shot her in the head.
Following the interrogation, Valadez was then taken into custody and later booked into the Marion County Jail on a felony murder charge. Authorities stated more charges are expected.