PHOENIX - Police said a body found in the west Valley has been "tentatively identified" as Jasmine Dunbar, a 21-year-old mother reported missing this week.
The body, discovered near 107th Avenue and Camelback Road, was significantly burned, police said.
According to Phoenix police, Dunbar and her baby girl were last seen leaving a home in the area of 51st Avenue and Thomas Road Tuesday night around 9 p.m.
They were last seen with Dunbar's 20-year-old ex-boyfriend, Antwaun Ware, police said.
Dunbar's baby was found abandoned Tuesday night in a car seat positioned along the roadway about six miles away from where they were last seen together, police said.
Police arrested Ware Wednesday for first-degree murder and several other charges including abandoning a body and child abuse.
Court documents showed Dunbar was taking Ware to take a paternity test Tuesday night. That was the last time anyone saw them.
Police went to Ware's home around 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday. He initially told police he picked Dunbar up at her apartment earlier in the evening with her daughter and they had a disagreement, so he dropped her back off at the apartment.
Later, court documents said Ware changed his story and admitted to a physical altercation with Dunbar and punched her multiple times. He then left her in a field near 107th Avenue and Camelback Road, but said she was still alive at that time.
Ware then drove away, with Dunbar's daughter still in the car, and started to panic, documents said. He dropped off the 7-month-old near 83rd and Minnezona avenues because he saw people nearby and thought they would find the baby and take care of her.
He returned to where Dunbar was left dead, put a piece of paper on her body and poured gasoline over her, then he lit her on fire with a cigarette, court documents said. He stayed to watch the body burn until the flames stopped.
Ware went back to where the baby was left, but saw police in the area so he took a "back way" to get to his girlfriend's house. When police interviewed him, he didn't have signs of injuries, documents said.
Police located Dunbar's body around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
During the police investigation, they contacted another ex-boyfriend of Dunbar's, who said he saw Dunbar get into the car with Ware around 9 p.m. Tuesday.
He was at Dunbar's apartment because she asked him to come over. When Dunbar got into the car with Ware, the other ex-boyfriend was confused, and she told him she was taking Ware to have a paternity test and that she would be right back.
Ware was booked into the Maricopa County Jail.
A Gofundme account has been set up to help cover Dunbar's funeral expenses.