Death near Pecos Road ruled suicide

Phoenix police said that the man found hanging from a tree near Kyrene de los Lagos Elementary likely committed suicide because of the evidence at the scene and because a note was found in his pocket.

Phoenix police spokesman L.A. Samudio also said that the man, originally thought to be around 30, was 47 years of age and lived in Ahwatukee Foothills. Because it is a suicide, Samudio said police do not release much information, including the man’s name.

An off-duty Gila River Indian Community officer first noticed the body around 6 a.m. on Thursday. Police and fire personnel were called to the scene shortly thereafter and the body was taken down from the tree by around 9 a.m.

Lagos Elementary went into a “rainy day” schedule where students stayed inside and were not allowed to go out onto the playground, or about 150 to 200 yards from the apparent suicide.

The man’s body was hanging from a tree about 50 or 60 yards from Pecos Road. Police, as a result, stopped all traffic traveling west on the road but, because it is used heavily by commuters at that time of the day, kept eastbound traffic open.

Samudio said the reason the body was left in the tree for around three hours was to “preserve evidence.”

Two Foothills residents, one of whom was taking her seventh-grader to Horizon Community Learning Center, were upset that more wasn’t done to shield the body from motorists.

“You could see it plain as day,” said Gwen Moreno, a Club West resident. “I don’t understand why they didn’t close Pecos the other way or, if not, pull the truck up and shield that.

“(My daughter) looked over and she said, ‘Mom, I saw that and why is he hanging there?’ Her question right away was, ‘Mom do you think somebody did that?’

“I said, ‘No, honey, I’m absolutely sure they will find it was somebody who was very disturbed or had a mental illness.’

“And then she said, ‘Mom, I wish I hadn’t seen that.’”