A California woman nearing the end of her pregnancy has tragically been found murdered in the aftermath of a gruesome attack.
N-Kya Rebecca Logan was doing what any other soon-to-be mother would be at eight months pregnant: preparing for her newborn, surrounding herself with family, and having a baby shower. However, things sadly didn’t all go to plan, as her remains were found violently desecrated Monday.
During a Wednesday press conference, Fresno Police Department Chief Paco Balderrama revealed the 26-year-old had “been stabbed to death and then set on fire,” just two days after her Sunday baby shower.
Absolutely horrific.
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Balderrama explained around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Fresno Fire Department and FPD responded to reports of a fire in an unpaved alleyway on the 4400 block of N. Cornelia Street, near an apartment building. The police chief gut-wrenchingly revealed:
“When they arrived they saw a victim who had been set on fire, completely engulfed in fire.”
Maintenance workers for the complex were the ones to first discover the brutal site. Authorities were able to identify “several pieces of evidence” that led them to Logan’s own brother, Aaron Jamal Dudley. Balderrama added:
“We have several witnesses who saw the fire, but one witness who actually took a picture of a person who we believe is the suspect standing over the body. Several surveillance videos which show the suspect pushing a trash bin. We believe the victim was inside the trash bin. She was taken to the alley before she was set on fire.”
Logan had been living in a shared residence with the 41-year-old, and their mother about four blocks from where she was eventually set on fire. Law enforcement quickly acquired a search warrant for the home, but when they arrived, Dudley attempted to flee:
“He ran from police, which is something very typical of a guilty person.”
Luckily, he was apprehended, and booked at 5:43 p.m. Wednesday, according to Fresno County Sheriff’s Office jail records.
Authorities have since determined Dudley stabbed his 36 weeks pregnant sister several times with “an edged weapon such as a knife,” before bringing her into their garage, placing her in the city trash bin, wheeling her to the burn site, pouring gasoline over her, and lighting her on fire.
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Fresno County’s District Attorney Lisa A. Smittcamp announced later in the Wednesday press conference that while she has not officially been given the case, she plans to charge Dudley with two counts of murder, noting, “the killing of a fetus is murder,” when it’s past the embryo stage. She explained:
“A third-party killing of a fetus with [premeditation] is murder as long as it can be shown that the fetus had progressed beyond the embryonic stage … seven to eight weeks.”
The D.A.’s office plans to push for the death penalty.
Despite being placed on an involuntary, 72-hour psychiatric hold, Balderrama believes Dudley is indeed fit to stand trial, noting:
“This is a person who had the wherewithal to try to clean up the evidence, try to dispose of the body, ran when police came to knock on the door to see what was going on. This is not somebody who does not know what he’s doing.”
Authorities also noted they had previously been called to the residence on July 28 of 2021, after a female victim had described Dudley as a danger to the safety of himself or others. As of now, a bail amount has not been set, and it’s unclear whether or not he’s retained an attorney.
Our hearts are with Logan’s loved ones during this unimaginable time, and we hope to see justice served sooner rather than later. Rest in peace.
[Images via Fresno Police Department & KMPH FOX26 NEWS/YouTube]