An expert says the burial of two bodies showed deliberation, but other actions described by investigators appeared rushed and poorly planned.
LITCHFIELD PARK, AZ. — A forensic psychologist says the behavior attributed to a 27-year-old man sought in a Litchfield Park double-homicide investigation appears to show a mix of planning and panic, pointing to an incomplete cleanup and the suspect’s reported flight from the United States.
Matthew Flores is the primary suspect in the investigation after two bodies were discovered buried in the backyard of the Litchfield Park home where he lived with his parents, Hector and Larissa Flores, according to reporting based on information from Avondale police. Authorities believe Flores left the country before officers searched the property. Police have not disclosed where they believe he went or how investigators determined he had crossed an international border.
The investigation began after relatives contacted Avondale police because they had not heard from the family. Officer Daniel Benavidez said relatives expected the mother, father and their adult son to be at the residence. Officers conducting a welfare check found signs of a struggle and a large amount of blood inside the home. A search of the property then led officers to two shallow graves in the backyard.
Forensic psychologist Dr. John Delatorre, speaking with Arizona’s Family, said some of the behavior described in the case suggests the person responsible spent significant time trying to conceal what happened. Burying two bodies, he noted, requires effort and indicates at least some deliberate action. But he questioned why other evidence reportedly remained inside the home if the goal was to delay discovery.
Delatorre said the contrast between the effort used to bury the bodies and the apparent failure to fully clean the residence could indicate panic. He also described suddenly leaving the country as behavior that appeared rushed rather than part of a carefully designed effort to keep relatives and investigators from becoming suspicious for a longer period.
“He spent a long time because he buried the bodies, but why not clean up the scene better?” Delatorre said. He suggested that someone acting with a more developed plan might have tried to create an explanation for the family’s absence before leaving, potentially delaying concern among relatives. His comments are an outside behavioral assessment, not an investigative finding about Flores’ state of mind or motive.
Delatorre also discussed parricide, the killing of a parent by a child, while cautioning through his analysis that such cases can involve complex psychological dynamics. He said people who kill their parents may sometimes blame their parents for personal problems or failures. Authorities, however, have not publicly announced a motive in the Litchfield Park case, and there is no verified evidence establishing why the killings occurred.
Police have described Flores as a suspect and have not announced a conviction or adjudication of responsibility. The bodies recovered from the property initially remained officially unidentified as authorities awaited forensic confirmation. Maricopa County medical examiner records cited in local reporting listed pending examinations involving two people whose ages corresponded with the homeowners, but investigators had not publicly completed the identification process at the time of those reports.
The search for Flores has expanded beyond Arizona. Benavidez said investigators believe he fled the United States, while Avondale police have withheld details about his suspected destination and the evidence supporting that conclusion. Acting U.S. Marshal for the District of Arizona Van Bayless said federal authorities were prepared to assist and that investigators can use physical and digital evidence, along with partnerships with foreign law enforcement agencies, when tracking fugitives overseas.
If Flores is located outside the United States, the process of returning him to Arizona would depend on the country involved and the applicable legal procedures. Bayless said U.S. officials work with the Justice Department and international partners in such cases. He said authorities have multiple avenues for pursuing fugitives overseas and expressed confidence that Flores would eventually be located.
The investigation remains active, with authorities continuing the international search for Flores while forensic work on the two bodies and evidence from the Litchfield Park property continues. Police have not publicly released a suspected motive, Flores’ believed destination or a detailed timeline of when he allegedly left the country.
Author note: Last updated August 9, 2026.