Harrowing 911 calls reveal moment glamorous hiker was found murdered on Arizona nature trail

Lauren Heike, 29, was found dead on the Reach 11 trail in North Phoenix on April 29, 2023, the day after she disappeared during a hike

Phoenix Police Thursday released several 911 calls covering the moment  Heike’s body was found, and tips that followed

Her alleged killer was spotted after his face was plastered across the news

Prosecutors alleged she was ambushed on the trail by Zion Teasley, 23, in a random attack, chased to a deserted area, and stabbed 15 times in the back and neck

She’d been ‘chased through or over a barbed wire fence,’ police said

Teasley was ultimately linked to crime by DNA found on Heike’s shoe, as well as forensic evidence such as phone location data from the scene

Now 23, Teasley faces a death sentence if convicted 

29-year-old Lauren Heike [photo], disappeared while hiking on the Reach 11 trail, in North Phoenix on April 28, 2023. When she was found a day later, the body showed signs that she had been chased over a barbed wire fence, which tore at her clothing

Haunting 911 calls played in court reveal how slain hiker Lauren Heike was found, and her alleged killer spotted after his image was made public on posters and news outlets.
Heike, 29, was found dead on the Reach 11 trail in North Phoenix on April 29, 2023, the day after she disappeared during a hike.
Prosecutors alleged she was ambushed on the trail by Zion Teasley, 23, in a random attack, chased to a deserted area, and stabbed 15 times in the back and neck.
Cops who found Heike said the condition of the body and clothing indicated that she’d been ‘chased through or over a barbed wire fence’. 

Phoenix Police Department released several 911 calls on Thursday, October 3, shedding light on the circumstances and when Lauren Heike’s body was found, and tips that followed.
The woman who made the first call said she found a body in the desert while she was walking along the trail herself. 
‘I was just going for a walk, and she’s there. I didn’t touch her… but it looks like she’s been there for a while,’ she said.

A month later, police tracked down the suspect Zion Teasley, [photo], using a DNA sample in their system from a felony conviction. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Asked if he had planned to kill Lauren, he told cops: ‘I am definitely not the person who plans to kill another person,’ adding, ‘If I was going to do something like that it wouldn’t be premeditated. ‘

The caller told the operator that she didn’t look like the person she found was breathing.
In response to the operator asking if she could see her chest moving up and down, she said ‘No, and there is blood coming from under her workout bra.’
The operator says: ‘Blood coming from her bra? Does it look like she was stabbed or shot?’
The caller said she couldn’t tell.

As it happens, a surveillance camera captured a male suspect following Heike, and eventually returning to the area where her body was found, before hopping a fence to clear the area. 
Soon after the footage was publicly released, calls started coming in from people who thought they recognized the man in the video.
‘I just noticed a guy who looks vaguely familiar to the guy on the news,’ one of Teasley’s neighbors reported.
Another Phoenix local called with a possible sighting, saying, ‘Maybe it’s nothing but my gut is telling me, I gotta tell somebody.’

Although Lauren Heike, [photo], was stabbed 15 times in the back and chest, she fought off her assailant and ran away before she collapsed and died, cops said

Teasley was ultimately linked to crime by DNA found on Heike’s shoe, as well as forensic evidence such as phone location data from the scene.
Zion Teasley, a 21-year-old ex-con with a record dating back to 2020, was soon arrested.
He was back in custody just five months after finishing a three-year jail sentence for robbery with a deadly weapon.
Maricopa County Attorney’s Office filed the notice of intent to seek the death penalty – a move Heike’s family said they ‘supported’ seven months after the brutal killing. 
‘We received word late this afternoon that the MCAO has filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty for Lauren’s murder,’ Lana and Jeff Heike said.

Zion Teasley being arrested by police on May 4, 2023, in Phoenix, Arizona. Teasley’s arrest, captured by news station Telemundo, shows the suspect sitting on the sidewalk calmly talking to police. He allegedly told detectives ‘he wanted to look like Heike,’ suggesting he had seen her before carrying out the attack

Heike was found dead on the Reach 11 trail on April 29, with police launching a week-long manhunt for her killer. At the press conference in May 2023, Lauren’s heartbroken parents Lana and Jeff Heike seeking justice for their daughter, asked for the help of the public tin catching the killer

‘Our Family supports MCAO’s decision and we are grateful for the work of both MCAO and Phoenix PD.’
The couple added of Teasley’s looming trial next October: ‘We know that our journey through the criminal justice system is just beginning, but we will be there every step of the way to ensure that Lauren receives justice.’
Teasley – whose laundry list of crimes came after he dropped out of the Marine Corps boot camp in San Diego after just four months –  pleaded not guilty to the murder.
Police said that upon being picked up, Teasley ominously told detectives ‘he wanted to look like Heike,’ suggesting that he saw her at some point before allegedly carrying out the attack.
Heike’s family, however, maintained their daughter did not know her attacker – bolstering cops’ belief that she fell into Teasley’s sights while out on the trail.

Lauren Heike was last seen as she went hiking on The Reach 11 trail in Phoenix, Arizona on April 28, last year

Authorities released this image of Teasley with a reward of up to $2,000 offered for information related to the case. Teasley was arrested and has been in custody since he was already on probation for his previous conviction

A probable cause affidavit later revealed the suspected killer had recently been fired from his job at a nearby sports store for being ‘aggressive’ to female employees – further bolstering investigators’ yet-to-be-proven narrative.  
They claimed Heike, who was found dead on the Reach 11 trail, was chased over a barbed wire fence as she relentlessly worked to escape her attacker.
In airing this theory, investigators cited how they found the woman’s belongings strewn along the trail, and several tears to her clothing.
DNA matching Teasley’s was also recovered on a shoe that Heike discarded as she attempted to scale the fence, which the suspect was later filmed returning to and hopping over after allegedly committing the murder.
Phone records also allegedly placed Teasley at the scene of the crime – adding to the DNA and video footage. 
In his indictment, prosecutors wrote their belief that Teasley knew his conduct could cause injury or death, and said the DNA match stemmed from a sample secured from a prior felony conviction. 

Murder suspect Zion Teasley seen, [photo],during his indictment on May 4, 2023, faces execution if convicted

Despite multiple stabs police said, Heike managed to escape from her assailant before collapsing and dying from the stab wounds

Maricopa County officials further explained how the murder-one charge counts as ‘a dangerous felony’ due to the allegation that Teasley repeatedly used a knife to injure the esthetician. He allegedly stabbed her 15 times across her body and hands.
In addition to first-degree murder, he has been charged with breaching the terms of his probation agree upon after his release from prison in November.
According to court records, Teasley was jailed 36 months earlier, after pleading guilty to robbery with a deadly weapon, disorderly conduct during a robbery that happened in June 2020.

Zion Teasley, now 22, appeared at Maricopa County Court after being charged with the murder of Lauren Heike, on April 28, 2023

As his wanted person footage and poster made the rounds, Teasley was identified in the surveillance footage by his probation officer, as well as his former employer, who confirmed to cops that the accused killer regularly carried a pocket knife consistent with the murder weapon.
His probable cause affidavit also stated that when arrested by officers, Teasley also identified himself as being the man in the footage, before telling officers he recognized Lauren from the news and ‘wanted to look like her’.
He went on to claim he was ‘walking to a nearby movie theater’ when he had been seen traversing the trail near Libby Street and Mayo Boulevard, and admitted to officers he knew Lauren was attacked but ‘struggled to admit she was murdered’.

Investigators found woman’s belongings strewn along the trail, and several rips on Heike’s clothing. DNA matching Teasley’s was also recovered on a shoe that Heike discarded as she attempted to scale the fence. The suspect was later filmed returning and hopping over that fence after allegedly committing the murder.

Asked if he had planned to kill Lauren, the suspect told cops: ‘I am definitely not the person who plans to kill another person,’ adding, ‘If I was going to do something like that it wouldn’t be premeditated. ‘
During his first court appearance, he was given a $1 million cash bond for the probation violation, but was remanded into custody with no bond, as prosecutors told the court that there was ‘photographic evidence’ linking the suspect to the crime.
Teasley remains in custody, after officials ruled he should not be released due to the fact he was already out on probation for a previous conviction.