LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. - An international manhunt continues for Matthew Flores, the 27-year-old Litchfield Park man accused of killing his parents in the Litchfield Park home where the three lived. Police believe Flores killed both parents and buried them in the backyard before fleeing the country.
All three individuals are accused in the deaths of their parents. (From left to right: Matthew Flores, Jonathan Turk, and Nick Reiner)
Big picture view:
This case is not the first of its kind in Arizona this year. The Litchfield Park case is just the latest in the area. The bodies of Hector and Larissa Flores were found buried in their backyard earlier this month. Back in March, 29-year-old Jonathan Turk was accused of killing his parents, Fraser and Tina Turk, in their Peoria home.
Son calls 911 to report killing his parents in Peoria, police say
A 29-year-old man is in custody after calling 911 to report he had killed his parents at a home in Peoria near 83rd Avenue and Jomax Road, police said.
On the national level, 32-year-old Nick Reiner was recently indicted on murder charges. He is accused in the December stabbing deaths of his parents, Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele.
Nick Reiner faces potential death penalty under new grand jury indictment
Prosecutors have added a new charge against Nick Reiner, son of Rob and Michele Reiner, accusing him of "lying in wait" before killing his parents.
What we know:
Despite these recent cases, experts say this type of crime, referred to as parricide, is statistically very rare.
"It really does horrify the public when offspring, whether they're juveniles or adults, kill their parents," said Dr. Kathleen Heide.
Heide, who has studied the murder of parents by their children for more than four decades, says these cases get significant media attention, but they are not common.
By the numbers:
"It's very, very rare. It's about 2% of all homicides in this country involve a parent who is a victim," Heide said.
Heide added that this type of crime is also rare in other countries, and that across the board, males are statistically much more likely to commit parricide. Additionally, Heide says roughly 92% of parricide cases involve one parent as the victim, rather than both.
Typical Categories of Parricide Suspects
While she is not able to directly evaluate the suspects in recent Arizona cases, Heide says parricide suspects often fall into one of a few categories, with severe mental illness frequently at the center.
Heide, a professor of criminology at the University of South Florida, described one group as individuals who "could be mid-20s to 40s, etc. who are severely mentally ill and people typically recognize it. They have hallucinations where they see things that aren't there or hear things."
Another category is the severely abused child, according to Heide.
"There is a pattern, a long-standing pattern of abuse and neglect. They usually are adolescents, young adults. They've tried to get help. They've not been able to get helped. Many times they've run away, been brought back home, they've considered suicide and they come to the decision there's no other way out but murder. And they kill either in self-defense, meaning they're terrified they're going to be killed or they're desperate," Heide said.
A third form of parricide suspect Heide has seen is what she calls the dangerously antisocial child or offender.
"These are individuals who kill for a selfish instrumental reason. Now the public is kind of surprised by this, because it goes against everything that we believe should happen in a family with parents and children. But, individuals kill their parents because they're in the way. They want their parents' money. They want the parents' freedom. They come to the decision that the only way to do that is to get rid of their parents," Heide explained.
Then there is the fourth category of parricide offender Heide has studied: the enraged.
"These are individuals often with a history of abuse. Not always, but it's in the background. It's not ongoing. There's no threat. You know, they're just at a point where that's in the past, and often they have been drinking or doing drugs, typically drinking, and they get in an argument with the parent or some kind of altercation and the rage that's within them that they're carrying erupts and they kill the parent. So they may beat the parent, they may shoot the parent. It's more because at that time they're overcome with emotions."
Dig deeper:
Retired FBI Special Agent Jennifer Coffindaffer says these violent acts often stem from feelings that grow or evolve over time, and evidence can sometimes be found to give insight into the mind of the accused.
"Maybe not a manifesto but writings and talking about their hate, they're talking about their homicide that they want to commit and why," Coffindaffer said.
The Importance of Intervention
Heide says it is crucial to have a mental health professional involved in these criminal cases.
"Evaluate the individual, spend time, get the records, get the history, and go back to the school years, mental health records, medical records, and then also to talk to family members. If there are grandparents, if there are siblings," Heide said.
Sometimes, experts say the involvement of parents just trying to help can create its own level of risk.
"I've had cases and it's very sad where parents particularly moms because of the bond feel an obligation to take care of children, and here I really mean adult children, who are dangerous," Heide said.
What you can do:
Anyone with information about Matthew Flores' whereabouts is asked to contact law enforcement.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Dr. Kathleen Heide, Jennifer Coffindaffer, and previous FOX reporting.