What happened to Jose Gutierrez? Arizona man arrested after dismembered friend's remains found in Phoenix alleyway

Carlos Guadalupe Leon Soto has recently been arrested in connection to the discovery of the dismembered remains of Jose Gutierrez, his friend. Carlos allegedly mutilated Jose’s body and then flushed the organs down the toilet. The suspect allegedly stuffed the remains in several trash bags that he left in a Phoenix alleyway to decompose.

Law enforcement officers received an emergency call regarding an “unknown trouble,” on June 28, 2023. Upon arrival at the site, they discovered the trash bags and also smelled a foul odor coming from them.

Investigating officers further claimed that they had recovered surveillance footage that had captured a man, resembling Carlos Soto, loitering around the area where the bags were found. The nearby residents also identified the man as Soto after authorities showed them the photo.

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Jose Gutierrez’s dismembered remains has allegedly been found in trash bags in an alleyway in Phoenix on June 28

Police got involved in the case after discovering the bags filled with human remains in the alleyway in late June. Phoenix Police Department identified the remains to be of Jose Gutierrez's. Around three trash bags were discovered in the area of 39th Avenue and McDowell Road.

On July 18, authorities arrested Carlos Soto in connection to the brutal death of Gutierrez. According to authorities, in a post-Miranda interview, Soto admitted that he knew the victim. He reportedly further claimed that he got to know Jose Gutierrez on June 19, 2023, when the victim arrived at a Mexican food joint where Soto worked. According to court documents,

“Approximately three days after the meeting, [Soto] stated that [Gutierrez] overdosed inside his apartment. The overdose occurred while [Soto’s roommates] were out of town for several days.”

According to Soto, Jose Gutierrez then stayed at his house and shared a bed for about three days. However, he claimed that the two never engaged in any kind of s*xual activity. Soto allegedly said that Jose died of a drug overdose at his house, while his other roommates were out of town. The suspect continued by saying that he was concerned about his deportation, which is why he thought to get rid of the victim and “throw him away.”

In the same interview, Soto allegedly admitted to having spent hours dismembering Jose Gutierrez’s body and the flush some down the toilet while stuffing some in the garbage bags. In addition, he mentioned that he had cleaned the entire apartment after getting rid of the victim’s body.

Soto currently has been charged with three counts of abandoning or concealing a dead body or body parts, destroying or altering physical evidence, and hindering prosecution. The suspect is currently booked into Maricopa County Jail on a bond of $200,000. Police are treating the case as a homicide and are investigating it. No further details regarding Jose’s death or Soto’s involvement have been revealed as of now.

While referring to a case involving dismemberment, it has been revealed that this recent case isn’t the first one in Arizona over the past few months. Just a few days back, on July 24, a man was taken into custody for allegedly killing and dismembering his father.