1 arrested after landlord finds body in empty Chandler house

CHANDLER, AZ – A murder suspect has been arrested after a woman was found dead inside a vacant Chandler home on Monday.

Detective David Ramer with the Chandler Police Department said Michelle Morales' son called police around 6:45 a.m. to report he received several phone calls at his home from an unknown man.

The man allegedly said he was demanding money or else Michelle Morales would be harmed. 

Ramer said neighbors in the area of Arizona Avenue and Frye Road called the landlord of a nearby residence reporting commotion coming from the empty home between 5:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m.

Landlord Olga Muniz responded and said she saw someone lying on the floor inside the home, with blood on and around the body.

"It was messy, bloody," said Muniz. "It looked like she had been hit in the head quite a few times. That's probably what caused her death."

"We didn't rush down here because we didn't think we'd discover (a body)," said Muniz. "It's shocking and pretty devastating. I grew up in that house."

According to Ramer, officers responded to the scene and confirmed the victim was deceased and identified her as 41-year-old Michelle Melinda Morales of Chandler.

Police identified 31-year-old Jaime Coronado, of Chandler, as the suspect in Morales' homicide.

At about 10 p.m., the United States Marshall Service Task Force arrested Coronado near Country Club and US Highway 60 in Mesa. 

Physical evidence found on Coronado allegedly connected him to the homicide scene. 

Coronado was booked into the 4th Ave Jail, charged with murder in the first degree.

Police did not confirm how Morales died.