Crime Log: Victim of homicide found south of Tucson in desert

The death of a man whose body was found in the desert north of Sahuarita is being investigated as a homicide, authorities said Friday.

The body was found northeast of Nogales Highway and Old Nogales Highway on Tucson’s South Side around 8 p.m., Thursday, by a person driving an All Terrain Vehicle, said Pima County Sheriff’s spokesperson Deputy Dawn Hanke.

The body, found near a GMC pickup truck, displayed “obvious signs of trauma.”

The victim is described as Hispanic and in his late 20s or early 30s. His name was not released as of Saturday pending positive identification, Hanke said.

Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 30 illegal immigrants early Friday morning after raiding an Arivaca stash house.

Agents from the Tucson Sector used night vision technology to locate the group as members were crossing the border near the Montana Ranch in Arivaca, a spokesperson said.

They later located the group hiding in a trailer house on Hardscrabble Road.

All 32 men and women surrendered and were taken to the Nogales Station for processing.

In other Border Patrol news, 48 bundles of marijuana were found last week near a Sonoita ranch stacked on top of several ATVs found abandoned in the brush.

Agents discovered the marijuana, which totaled 1,100 pounds, Tuesday, after a rancher reported cut fences and vehicle tracks on her property.

A body found Sunday in a rural part of Amado is believed to be that of an illegal immigrant.

A driver discovered the badly decomposed body that morning near Mount Hopkins Road and Forest Service Road 183, said Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada.

Gender and approximate age could not be determined, he said. The body was sent to the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner for an autopsy.

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