GILBERT, AZ — Court records show the allegations made by Gilbert police: a 52-year-old man moved the body of a 55-year-old woman to her home and left her for days after she died. The records say Lauchner then pawned her jewelry, drove her car, and sent text messages from her phone hoping to keep her family from worrying.
Records say Lauchner was arrested Aug. 11 and is held without bond at the Lower Buckeye Jail. He faces accusations of abandoning or concealing a dead body, second-degree burglary, trafficking stolen property, unlawful use of means of transportation, and possession of a weapon by a prohibited person.
Cindy Miller, 55, was found Aug. 8 inside her Gilbert home after family members had not heard from her in several days.
Her daughter remembered Cindy in a statement to ABC15:
"My mother was a presence unlike any other, she was known and loved by many. A mother of three, one recently lost (my little brother Zach, who was about to turn 21 and was lost to a motorcycle accident), and a charismatic, joyous woman. An avid pool player, scuba diver, painter, and entrepreneur. She was a light in the lives of everyone she met."
"Everybody is, is devastated and we've lost somebody that we should not have lost,” her boyfriend Charlie Mills said in a victim’s impact statement in court. "She was supposed to be my life partner for the rest of my life, and now I have lost that."
What court records say happened
According to court records, Lauchner told police he and Miller were together at a hotel sometime between the night of Aug. 4 and the early morning hours of Aug. 5, when Miller became unresponsive. Lauchner allegedly told police he and Miller had used drugs.
Court records go on to say Lauchner told police he checked for a pulse and performed CPR but did not call emergency services because he knew she was dead and went into a mode of "self-preservation."
Court records say Lauchner then dressed Miller, placed her body in the passenger seat of her own Mercedes, drove to her Gilbert home, carried her inside, laid her on her bed, and pulled the comforter over her body.
Lauchner later admitted to selling two of Miller's jewelry items — a diamond ring and a diamond necklace — at a Tempe pawn shop on Aug. 5. He also allegedly sent text messages from Miller's phone to her contacts to keep anyone from worrying. Miller's phone still has not been recovered.
Surveillance footage, home security cameras, and phone records placed Lauchner at Miller's home and in her vehicle in the days after her death, according to court records. When detectives contacted him outside a Phoenix apartment on Aug. 11, he attempted to run before being apprehended, paperwork says. He was found allegedly carrying a black handgun and denied doing anything directly to cause Miller's death.
Prior record and release conditions
Lauchner was on pretrial release at the time of his arrest for a different offense involving Miller from earlier this year. He was required to wear an ankle monitor and was prohibited from contacting Miller or returning to her home.
Court paperwork says Maricopa County Pretrial Services told investigators Lauchner's ankle monitor had not been functioning since July 12 when it was last pinged at Miller's home.
Court hearing
Miller's family and prosecutors asked the judge to hold Lauchner without bond at Wednesday's hearing.
"His lies, stating that, you know, he's here to help and figure this out, um, while we're learning everything that he did was just unimaginably painful, um, and he's not a safe person, he's a dangerous, dangerous person," Jacquie Miller, the victim's daughter, said. "He's hurt my family beyond belief."
When the judge asked Lauchner for his opinion on his release conditions, he agreed with the request.
"Non-bondable, I'm sure," Lauchner said.
The judge held Lauchner without bond and he is currently housed at the Lower Buckeye Jail.
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