Christopher Michael Ebanks, 32, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE
Credit: Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Christopher Michael Ebanks was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping after police say a dismembered body was found in his apartment
- The victim’s remains were initially discovered inside a hallway closet at the victim’s home, wrapped in carpeting and an air mattress, police said
- Authorities then identified Ebanks as a suspect after they allegedly discovered the victim’s missing head and hands in Ebanks’ apartment
An Arizona man has been arrested in connection with the death of a man who police say was found dismembered inside the suspect's home.
Christopher Michael Ebanks, 32, was charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping following the alleged discovery, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE. Ebanks' arrest came after the Phoenix Police Department (PPD) was alerted to a possible homicide at an apartment around 9 p.m. on May 7, according to a PPD news release.
The caller, Jeffery Majalca, told authorities that he was contacted by his daughter, Selena Blanco, who claimed her boyfriend had been killed by a man. She told her father that the body was inside the apartment, according to a probable cause statement obtained by PEOPLE. He told authorities that the deceased victim was put in a bathtub, before he was "wrapped up and put into a closet."
The probable cause statement alleges that police officers smelled bleach and cleaning chemicals when they arrived at the scene, and that they observed wet floors and cleaning supplies. Authorities also found blood and "signs of cleanup efforts throughout the apartment," per the probable cause statement.
As the PPD's Homicide Unit began investigating the incident, officers discovered the remains of a deceased male, who was missing his head and hands, the statement alleges. The dismembered remains were allegedly wrapped in carpeting and an air mattress, and tied up with an extension cord.
Police have not yet shared the identity of the victim, or his relationship to the suspect.
Credit: Getty
During the investigation, Blanco told authorities that her boyfriend, the alleged victim, contacted Ebanks, whom she identified as "Draco," to help him obtain rent money on May 6.
Blanco told police that she, her boyfriend and Ebanks got into an argument, and as the argument escalated, she claimed that Ebanks used a knife to repeatedly stab the man, per a probably cause affidavit.
She also claimed that Ebanks forced her to drive him to his Glendale, Ariz. apartment, where she says he made her take a shower in order to "destroy evidence," and used a knife and a gun to threaten her into helping him clean up the scene, according to the probable cause statement.
Police say that they used surveillance video, phone records, and information obtained from Ebanks' prior criminal record to determine his location the following day, on May 8. After executing a search warrant, they allegedly discovered a suitcase with human remains inside in the apartment.
Ebanks allegedly refused to speak with investigators. He was booked on the first-degree murder and kidnapping charges, and a judge set a $1 million cash bond. He will appear in court again on May 14.
At the time of his arrest, Ebanks was on probation after pleading guilty to charges of misconduct involving weapons and possession of a dangerous drug in 2023, according to court records obtained by PEOPLE.
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PEOPLE reached out to the Phoenix Police Department, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and the Maricopa County Attorney for comment.
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