California Man Arrested for Decapitating Female Relative, Fleeing the Scene With Her Head

A California man has been arrested in San Francisco after he allegedly decapitated a female relative and fled the scene of the crime with her head.

Luis Aroyo-Lopez, 24, was arrested Saturday morning at Transbay Terminal after being recognized by police, who noticed that he matched the description of a wanted homicide suspect from Santa Rosa.

The victim’s name or relation to her alleged killer has not been publicly released.

Police had been searching for Aroyo-Lopez after finding the woman’s decapitated body in a home on Thursday.

The Santa Rosa Police said in a statement:

On Thursday, November 2, 2023, at approximately 3:40 pm, Santa Rosa Police officers responded to the 2500-block of Pomo Trail, Santa Rosa, regarding a possible homicide. When officers arrived on scene, they located a deceased female inside of the residence. The adult female victim had been decapitated. The victim’s head was not located at the residence.

Detectives from SRPD Violent Crimes Investigations team assumed the investigation and began interviewing anyone who potentially had information about the incident. The initial investigation revealed Luis Gustavo Aroyo-Lopez, a 24-year-old resident of Santa Rosa and relative of the victim, killed the victim before leaving the scene. It is believed Aroyo-Lopez took the victim’s head with him when he left the residence and he may still be in possession of it.

The police did not specify if the victim’s head was located on him when he was arrested.

The Santa Rosa Police added, “Aroyo-Lopez was recently released from state prison and placed on Postrelease Community Supervision (PRCS). He had been incarcerated for assault with a deadly weapon and weapons possession charges, unrelated to the victim in this incident.”