A tragic incident in Phoenix has left a family devastated after 15-year-old Kyelonna Meya Smiley was found shot to death inside an apartment on Aug. 4. The crime, which occurred at a senior living complex near 77th Avenue and Encanto Boulevard, has been closed following the discovery that the suspected killer, 67-year-old Nohe Prado Morelia, died by suicide.
Incident Details
Phoenix police officers responded to a call around 9:40 a.m. on August 4 and found Kyelonna Smiley dead from a gunshot wound. The investigation led detectives to identify Nohe Prado Morelia, a resident of the complex, as the suspect. Four days later, Morelia was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a business near 24th Street and Van Buren.
Following his death, the Phoenix Police Department confirmed that Morelia was responsible for the murder, and no other suspects were involved. The motive for the crime remains unknown, and the case has now been closed.
Family’s Heartbreak
Fiyonna Austin, Kyelonna’s mother, expressed her pain and frustration, stating that she had filed a missing persons report after her daughter left home on Friday, Aug. 1, and did not return by Monday, Aug. 4. Two days later, Austin learned her daughter had been found dead.
“It’s very frustrating at this point. Not knowing why my baby was taken. I’m really mad. And the guy who murdered my baby took a coward way to the end the whole thing, took his life, and I just want to know why,” Austin shared with Arizona’s Family.
Austin also spoke to Fox 10 Phoenix, saying, “The person who took my baby away shattered my world. I am very, very sad and heartbroken.”
A Life Cut Short
Kyelonna Smiley, who was preparing to start her freshman year at Trevor G. Browne High School, had never met Nohe Prado Morelia, and her mother doesn’t know why she was at the senior living community where the tragedy occurred.
In memory of her daughter, Austin has started a GoFundMe to help cover funeral costs and other expenses. Austin’s emotional message on the page read, “This is incredibly painful to share with the rest of the world. She passed away so young and had a whole life to live.”
The case has left the community and family heartbroken, with many still searching for answers to the tragic loss of a young life.
