An Indiana Uber driver is accused of raping and murdering a mother of two who had requested a ride home from work.
Francisco Valadez was arrested on suspicion of murder after the dead body of Chanti Dixon, 30, was found on Monday, Sept. 9, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said in a press release.
Police said Dixon was killed early on the morning of Sept. 8 and her body was found in a wooded area the next day.
Valadez was identified as a suspect after following “assistance from the community,” according to the release. Police alleged that he was a rideshare driver and had picked up Dixon before her death.
According to a probable cause affidavit reported by ABC News, WISH and WTHR, after Valadez gave conflicting accounts, he allegedly admitted to fatally shooting Dixon while trying to have sex with her in the back of his car.
It is not clear if Valadez has been formally charged or if he has retained an attorney.
ABC reported, citing the affidavit, that Valadez initially claimed that he had dropped Dixon off and that a man tried to rob her and shot her in the leg, but allegedly confessed after being brought in for an interview.
“Women, girls, mothers have a right to exist freely in our community without fear of something heinous happening to them,” Indianapolis Assistant Police Chief Catherine Cummings said, according to ABC. “They have a right to walk, bike, order, rideshare without fearing something bad will happen to them. This is a family’s worst nightmare, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to her family during this trying time.”
According to a GoFundMe started by the victim’s sister, Dixon was the mother of two children, aged 13 and 10.
