Kiersten Fabiani, 61, died 10 days after officers found her severely injured in the backyard of a north Phoenix home.
PHOENIX — Police are investigating the death of a 61-year-old woman as a homicide after she was found severely injured beneath a vehicle in the backyard of a north Phoenix home and died at a hospital 10 days later.
Kiersten Fabiani was found shortly after 11 a.m. Oct. 8 near 40th Street and Greenway Road after Phoenix police received a report of an injured person. Officers located her underneath a vehicle in the backyard of a residence. Police said her injuries were severe enough that she could not tell investigators what had happened to her. Detectives now believe her injuries were consistent with an assault and are trying to identify and locate whoever was responsible.
Emergency personnel took Fabiani to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. She remained hospitalized for 10 days before dying Oct. 18, according to police and local news reports. Her death prompted detectives to investigate the case as a homicide. Authorities have not publicly released a more detailed description of her injuries or explained exactly how she came to be beneath the vehicle.
Investigators have also not announced the identity of a suspect or released a suspect description. No arrest had been reported as of Tuesday. Police have not publicly identified a motive or said whether Fabiani knew the person they believe assaulted her. Those unanswered questions have left detectives seeking information about what happened before officers arrived at the north Phoenix property.
The circumstances surrounding the discovery remain limited in the information released by authorities. Police have not said who initially reported the injured person, whether Fabiani lived at the residence where she was found or how long she may have been in the backyard before officers arrived. Authorities also have not publicly described the vehicle under which she was located or said whether the vehicle itself played any role in her injuries.
The location where officers found Fabiani is near the intersection of Greenway Road and 40th Street in north Phoenix. Police responded at approximately 11:15 a.m., according to another local report citing the department. Investigators determined during the inquiry that Fabiani’s injuries were consistent with an assault rather than treating the incident solely as an unexplained injury case.
Fabiani’s inability to provide investigators with an account of what happened has left police working to reconstruct the events surrounding her injuries through other evidence and information. Authorities have not disclosed what physical evidence, surveillance footage or witness information, if any, has been recovered in the investigation. Police have also not announced whether they are searching for a specific person or vehicle.
Phoenix police are seeking information from the public as detectives continue the homicide investigation. Silent Witness is also accepting anonymous information about the case. Authorities have not announced any arrests, and the identity of the person responsible for Fabiani’s fatal injuries remained unknown as of Tuesday.
Author note: Last updated October 20, 2026.