Phoenix man arrested in 1984 cold-case murder of woman found dead in abandoned mortuary

PHOENIX (KNXV) -- An arrest has been made following the 1984 murder of a woman in Phoenix.

An anonymous caller led police to an abandoned mortuary building near 3rd Avenue and Fillmore Street on Feb. 17, 1984, documents show. Police say 22-year-old Aimee See's naked body was found inside, reportedly on a sleeping bag, with head injuries and a phone cord around her neck. Police said there was a blood trail to the victim's body and it appeared that she had been dead for several days.

Court documents show that on Oct. 15, 2020, 67-year-old David Kizziar was detained by police after he was identified as a potential lead in See's murder.

Documents show that Kizziar told police he was living near the mortuary at the time of the homicide. He also attended the YMCA and St. Vincent de Paul around the same time as See.

Further DNA tests were conducted and on Nov. 5, police determined that Kizziar matched the evidence taken from the homicide scene. The next day, he was arrested near 12th Avenue and Madison Street and booked into jail on first-degree murder and sexual assault charges. Kizziar has denied all involvement in the case and could not explain how his DNA was found at the scene, police say.