Police say Aaron Goodyke was tied to a wheelchair with plastic bags and left outside in 105-degree heat.
PHOENIX, Ariz. — Phoenix police arrested a 41-year-old man after Aaron Goodyke, a 33-year-old wheelchair user, was found dead near a south Phoenix canal Thursday night, bound to his chair with plastic bags during extreme heat.
Hector Corrales was booked on suspicion of first-degree murder and kidnapping after detectives reviewed witness statements, video and police documents tied to Goodyke’s death. Investigators said another man may have been involved but had not been publicly identified or arrested as of Tuesday.
Officers were called around 8:34 p.m. Thursday to an area near 24th Street and Fawn Drive, south of Baseline Road, after reports of trouble near a canal. Police said they found Goodyke slumped in a wheelchair. His hands and chest had been tied to the chair with plastic bags. Temperatures in Phoenix were around 105 degrees that evening, police said. Two witnesses told investigators they saw Goodyke alive earlier, appearing tied up and mumbling, before they later alerted their daughter. She went to check the area and found him dead.
Police documents said Goodyke had been staying with Corrales’ mother after leaving a hotel. Goodyke’s mother told detectives her son had diabetes and had his left leg amputated below the knee in April. Corrales’ mother told police Goodyke’s health had worsened during the week because he was not eating or drinking. She said she, Corrales and another man tried to take him to a hospital, but Goodyke changed his mind and became combative. Investigators said video showed Corrales and the other man restraining Goodyke’s arms and hands with plastic bags.
According to police records, the wheelchair tipped backward during the restraint and Goodyke appeared to hit the back of his head against the house. The unidentified man then wheeled Goodyke away from the home toward the canal, investigators said. Corrales’ mother told police the man later returned without Goodyke and said Goodyke was “fine.” Police have not said how long Goodyke was outside before he died, and the medical examiner’s final cause and manner of death had not been released.
The case unfolded during dangerous summer heat in Phoenix, where triple-digit temperatures can quickly become deadly, especially for people with limited mobility or serious health problems. Police said Goodyke’s diabetes and recent amputation were part of the investigation because they may have made him more vulnerable while restrained outside. Detectives also are reviewing the timeline between the attempted hospital trip, the video at the home and the moment witnesses saw Goodyke near the canal.
Corrales was arrested Saturday at his mother’s home on a prior felony warrant for a parole violation, police said. He declined to speak with investigators, according to police documents. Officers collected his DNA and fingerprints before booking him into the Maricopa County Jail. Prosecutors will decide how to proceed with formal charges as detectives continue to search for the second man and gather more evidence.
The investigation remained active Tuesday. Police had not announced the arrest of the second suspected participant, and no court date or charging update had been made public in the available reports.
Author note: Last updated Tuesday, June 30, 2026.