A gun-wielding maniac is in prison for allegedly kidnapping an elderly woman in Arizona. The woman's boyfriend was found dead after a horrific home invasion, leading to an hours-long search by police.
Lynn Prairie Rocca, 37, was arrested Saturday afternoon after a 75-year-old woman reported being taken from her home in Pierce by a masked gunman around 3 p.m. Friday. According to the Cochise County Sheriff's Office.
Police said Prairie-Rocca, wearing a ski mask and dark clothing, entered a workshop near the back of the victim's home and forced her into the victim's home at gunpoint. Police said the man then restrained the elderly victim, blindfolded him, pushed him into the back seat of his car, and drove off.
The woman told police that shortly after she was taken into custody, she heard several loud bangs in the home she shared with her 67-year-old partner.
The victim managed to escape from the car and fled to a nearby residence, where he called police shortly after 8 p.m.
Police said the woman suffered minor injuries and was treated at a local hospital, but asked police to inform her boyfriend of the situation, and the man's body was later discovered inside the home.
The man's name has not been released.
Authorities took a shirtless Prairie Rocca into custody after a barricade incident Saturday morning near Catclaw Road and Arizona Highway 181, about 80 miles north of the Arizona-Mexico border.
The situation forced nearby residents to evacuate for nearly three hours, police said.
“We would like to thank all agencies that responded for their dedication and professionalism in bringing this incident to a successful conclusion,” said Sheriff Mark J. Dannels.
Prairie Rocca is being held in the Cochise County Jail.
