An Uber driver has confessed to raping and killing a young mother he picked up on his way home from work at an Indianapolis strip club, police said.
The driver, Francisco Valadez, 29, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of involvement in the brutal death of Chantee Dixon, 30, who was found fatally injured the previous day in a wooded area behind her home. WRTV reported.
“This is horrible,” Police Chief Chris Bailey said. “It's disturbing. No one in our community should be treated like this.”
Deputy Police Commissioner Catherine Cummings agreed, saying the horrific attack had a “different impact” on women.
“Women, girls, mothers … we have the right to live freely in our communities without fear that something heinous will happen to us. We have the right to walk, to bike, to carpool without fear that something bad will happen to us,” she said.
According to court documents, Dixon was found fatally wounded in woods behind her home, and detectives who searched her phone discovered that Valadez had given her a ride home using the Uber app at 3:34 a.m. Monday and then gone to the home to question her.
Valadez allegedly told police two different stories before admitting to shooting Dixon in the back seat of a car, according to the documents.
He told police he picked up Dixon but an armed black man approached her vehicle and tried to rob her. According to Fox 8.
“[Valadez] The suspect then opened fire, he added. [Dixon] “She was struck in the thigh and jumped out of the vehicle, and he fled the scene,” police wrote in court documents. “He also stated he wiped blood off the vehicle.”
Police also reportedly spoke with Valadez's mother, who said her son owned a gun and regularly carried it with him.
Valadez later admitted to sexually assaulting Dixon after she insulted his body, which enraged Dixon, who shot her in the head. After the shooting, Valadez allegedly dragged her body out of the car and then tried to have sex with her, according to the media.
The victim's mother, Rise Dixon, remembered her daughter as a fun-loving person who was “full of energy.”
“I keep waiting for her to walk through that door, but I know she won't,” she told WRTV.
“Some people pick up a stripper at work and do what he did to my kid thinking no one will care, but we do. Don't do that,” she added.
Dixon had two children, Dashun, 13, and Canty, 10, according to a GoFundMe set up by her sister to cover funeral expenses.
Rise hopes her daughter's legacy lives on and that people learn from her experience and become more careful when using ride-sharing apps.
“What happened to her shouldn't belittle what she put out into the world,” Rise Dixon said.
Valadez was arrested on a murder charge, but authorities said Tuesday that more charges may be pending.
Uber confirmed in a statement that Valadez had been banned from driving on its platform.
“Our hearts break for Ms. Dixon's family and loved ones during this tragedy,” Uber said. “The details of this act of violence are brutal, and we will cooperate in any way we can with the Indianapolis Police Department as they continue their investigation.”
