Kochise County, Arizona

Authorities have announced that the man they were searching for in connection with a murder and abduction case in southern Arizona is now in custody. The suspect, 37-year-old Lynn Prairie Rocca, was booked into county jail around 1 PM on Saturday.

The effort to locate Rocca began on Friday night after he allegedly attempted to lure a woman and fatally shot a man in a home situated in the community of Pearce, which is roughly 50 miles north of the Mexico border.

Deputies responded to a call at the home around 8:10 PM. A 75-year-old woman reported that a masked man dressed in dark clothing had entered a workshop, brandished a firearm, forced her into the house, restrained her, and blindfolded her. She later heard a loud noise but wasn’t certain about its source. After dark, the suspect put her in the back of a 2007 silver Chevrolet Avalanche and, at a stop, she was able to escape and seek help from a nearby residence.

During her ordeal, she mentioned that the man had also visited a Dollar General store and believed he might still be there when she managed to flee. Afterward, she informed deputies that her boyfriend was at home and asked them to notify him that she was heading to the hospital because of minor injuries.

When deputies entered her home after no one answered, they discovered the body of a 67-year-old man inside. His identity remains undisclosed. Records indicate that Rocca had been released from prison in August and faced charges in 2023 for an aggravated attack involving a deadly weapon.

By around 11:30 AM on Saturday, authorities began an active barricade situation involving Rocca near CatClaw Road and Highway 181. Residents were advised to stay indoors. Ultimately, Rocca was found in an abandoned RV, and the shelter-in-place order was rescinded once he was taken into custody.