Aaron Goodyke was found dead near a canal after police say two men restrained and abandoned him in extreme heat.

PHOENIX, AZ — One of two men accused of tying a disabled friend to a wheelchair and leaving him near a south Phoenix canal in extreme heat died in jail days after his arrest, adding a second death investigation to a first-degree murder case that remains unresolved.

Aaron Goodyke, 33, was found unresponsive on the evening of June 25 with his hands and chest secured to his wheelchair by material that appeared to be plastic bags, according to Phoenix police and court documents described by local news organizations. Authorities arrested Hector Corrales, 41, and Troy Wright on first-degree murder and kidnapping allegations. Wright died in Maricopa County jail over the Fourth of July weekend, according to the sheriff’s office. His cause of death had not been determined while officials awaited findings from the county medical examiner.

The case began with an “unknown trouble” call shortly before 8:30 p.m. near 22nd Place and Fawn Drive, close to 24th Street and Baseline Road. The caller reported seeing a man tied to a wheelchair on the south side of a canal. Responding officers found Goodyke and pronounced him dead at the scene. Police said his hands and upper body were restrained, his clothing was in disarray and the ground nearby showed several footprints and signs of a recent disturbance. Temperatures had climbed above 105 degrees that day, according to the arrest account cited by news reports.

Investigators soon traced Goodyke’s final hours to a nearby home where he had been staying with Gloria Barajas, Corrales’ mother. Goodyke’s mother told investigators that her son had diabetes and had undergone a below-the-knee amputation of his left leg in April. Barajas said Goodyke had come to stay with her after facing removal from a hotel. She told police that his condition worsened during the week because he was not eating or drinking and repeatedly declined medical care, according to the court account.

Barajas said Goodyke eventually appeared to agree to a hospital visit. Corrales and Wright then tried to move him into a vehicle, but Goodyke changed his mind and began moving his arms, she told investigators. The men allegedly responded by placing him in his wheelchair and restraining him with plastic bags. Police said security footage from the property showed both men forcefully holding Goodyke’s arms and securing him to the chair. The footage reportedly captured the wheelchair tipping backward as the men handled it, causing Goodyke to strike the back of his head against the house.

The video did not end the investigation because it did not establish everything that happened afterward. According to court documents, Wright wheeled Goodyke away from the home toward the canal. Barajas later asked about Goodyke and was allegedly told that he was “fine.” Witnesses near the canal told police they had seen Goodyke alive earlier in the evening while he remained bound to the chair. One account said a witness passed the area, returned about an hour later and saw that Goodyke was still there. The witnesses later told their daughter, who went to the location and found him unresponsive.

Police arrested Corrales on June 27, initially taking him into custody on an outstanding felony warrant involving an alleged parole violation. Investigators said he declined to answer questions about Goodyke’s death. Authorities later booked him on suspicion of first-degree murder and kidnapping. Those charges are accusations, and Corrales is presumed innocent unless convicted. Public reporting reviewed for this article did not establish whether he had entered a plea, whether prosecutors had obtained an indictment or when his next court hearing would occur.

Wright was identified later as the second man shown in the investigation. Police arrested him July 2 on the same allegations. Court documents described by 12News said Wright had acknowledged to a witness that he wheeled Goodyke into the canal area. That reported statement, like the other claims in the arrest account, has not been tested at trial. Wright died in custody before the criminal case against him could proceed. The sheriff’s office confirmed his death but did not immediately release a cause or describe the circumstances that led to it.

Wright’s death ended the possibility of a prosecution against him but did not settle the allegations or determine responsibility for Goodyke’s death. Criminal proceedings generally cannot continue against a defendant who has died. Evidence connected to Wright, however, could remain relevant to the case against Corrales if prosecutors can establish that it is admissible. The death in jail also created a separate inquiry involving detention records, medical findings and the events surrounding Wright’s final hours, none of which had been publicly detailed in the reports available by late July.

Authorities also had not publicly released Goodyke’s final cause and manner of death. The known circumstances raised several possible factors, including his declining health, diabetes, reported lack of food and fluids, the impact to his head, the restraint and his exposure to triple-digit temperatures. Only the medical examiner can formally determine which injuries or conditions contributed to a death and whether it should be classified as homicide, accident, natural or undetermined. The murder allegations reflect investigators’ theory of the case, not a completed medical or judicial finding.

The first-degree murder accusation is the most serious charge available under Arizona law, but public reports did not specify which legal theory prosecutors intended to pursue. Depending on the evidence, such a case can focus on an alleged intentional killing or on a death that occurred during another serious felony. The kidnapping allegation centers on claims that Goodyke was restrained and moved without lawful authority. Prosecutors would still have to prove every element beyond a reasonable doubt, including Corrales’ individual conduct and any required mental state.

The hospital account may become a central dispute. Barajas described an effort that began as an attempt to obtain care for a seriously ill man who was resisting assistance. Investigators, however, allege the men went beyond an attempted medical transfer by binding Goodyke, moving him away from the home and leaving him near the canal in dangerous heat. The difference between a temporary restraint intended to prevent harm and an unlawful confinement would depend on the purpose, duration, force used and what the men did after Goodyke was secured.

The surviving case is likely to rely heavily on the home-security recording, witness statements, physical evidence from the canal bank and medical findings. Police reported several footprints and disturbed areas near the chair, which could help investigators reconstruct who approached Goodyke and what occurred before officers arrived. The timing of each sighting could also show how long he remained outside. Public reports did not say whether investigators recovered additional video from neighboring homes or businesses, collected usable forensic evidence from the plastic or identified every person who encountered Goodyke that day.

Goodyke’s physical condition makes the sequence especially important. His recent amputation meant he depended on the wheelchair for movement, while the restraints described by police may have limited his ability to seek shade, water or help. Witnesses reportedly saw him alive after he reached the canal area, but the exact time of his death has not been released. Investigators must determine not only who restrained and transported him, but whether the alleged conduct caused or substantially contributed to his death rather than merely preceding it.

Corrales remained the living defendant publicly identified in the case. No trial date, charging decision beyond the reported bookings or final medical findings had been announced in the sources reviewed. Phoenix police continued investigating Goodyke’s death, while county authorities separately examined Wright’s death in custody. Both inquiries depend on records that had not yet been made public, leaving the causes of the two deaths and the full legal path ahead unsettled.

Author note: Last updated July 27, 2026.