PHOENIX — Tyler Munguia faces hundreds of years behind bars.
The 25-year-old is the suspect of "extremely violent sexual assaults" against seven women who were sexually attacked, kidnapped, and tortured during a span of eight months.
Court documents allege Munguia filmed the attacks. That's how investigators were able to locate some of the victims.
Munguia was arrested last June in Gilbert. This month, he was indicted by a grand jury on 59 felony counts, including multiple aggravated assault, kidnapping, and sexual assault charges.
Police investigate reports
In June 2022, Phoenix police began investigating an extremely violent sexual assault. Authorities said evidence indicated the assault was related to another case they were already working on.
Detectives identified a suspect and arrested Munguia in connection with the two crimes. As the investigation continued, detectives gathered evidence, including video evidence, that led them to believe there were five additional victims.
Authorities said police worked with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, and on April 18, 2023, a grand jury indicted Munguia on 59 felony charges: 38 counts of sexual assault, six counts of kidnapping, six counts of aggravated assault, and nine counts of sexual abuse.
If convicted, MCAO tells 12News, each of the 38 sexual assault charges carries a concurrent sentence of five to 14 years in prison.
"This guy committed a lot of violent acts, so having him behind bars is a help to the community," said Phoenix Police Commander Ed DeCastro. "The amount of work that went into this investigation and putting all the pieces together is outstanding."
Looking for seventh victim
For six months, Phoenix police have been looking for Munguia's seventh victim whose alleged assault was videotaped.
"The only thing we have on her at this point: two necklaces that she's wearing," DeCastro said.
One of the gold necklaces says "Angel," and one has a charm, pendant, or ring.
She is described as 18 to 22 years old, white or Hispanic, with red or auburn hair that could be a wig.
The assaults against all the women would last for hours, and the victims told police they were often subjected to physical torture, court records show.
After the assaults, some victims would be dropped off by the suspect in Phoenix without their clothes, phones, or purses.
Detectives worked to identify and locate those they believed were victimized by Munguia. Police said all but one of the victims were identified, located, and agreed to aid in prosecution.
Police believe she was assaulted in the early morning of November 9, 2021.
Investigators released photos of two necklaces that were worn by the victim. They are concerned for her welfare and hope someone will recognize the necklace and help identify her.
People who knew suspect speak out
"It's just shocking," said Chase Thude, who grew up knowing the suspect. "He was a little off, weird at times."
When asked if he ever thought Munguia was capable of what he is accused of, Thude said, "I don't think any of us ever expected that."
Thude said he saw Munguia a week before his arrest. Munguia was allegedly in the car police said some of the crimes happened in.
"There was like girls' underwear and stuff in there, like thongs and other stuff like that," Thude said. "I was like, 'Dude, what is this doing in your car?' He was like, 'Oh, it’s my girlfriend's.' He was actually supposed to get married too."
Thude said Munguia told him he wanted to be a youth pastor after the wedding.
Court records allege brutal attacks
In April 2022, Munguia allegedly sought a woman who was working as a prostitute near 27th Avenue and Mariposa Street in Phoenix, court documents said. He reportedly held her at knifepoint, bound her wrists and legs with duct tape, gagged her, and placed a bag over her head.
The suspect allegedly drove her to a home where he sexually forced himself on her, documents said.
After attacking her for about 10 hours, Munguia “gave the victim a throughout scrubbing in the shower and kept her clothing and cell phone and dropped her off near 27th Avenue and Highland completely naked," records said.
The victim told detectives she saw “several pairs of women’s heels inside the home that she was taken to” and believed at least five other prostitutes had been sexually assaulted by the same suspect but believed none were reported to the police.
A second victim told police Munguia kidnapped her at knifepoint on June 28, 2022, after she was walking home near 27th Avenue and Camelback Road.
He allegedly drove to a parking lot where he duct taped her mouth, wrists, and ankles. He sexually assaulted her and drove her “to his home,” records said.
The victim told detectives she was sexually attacked for about five hours in a room with a “video camera next to the bed positioned on a tripod.” Court documents said he dropped her off where she was abducted and took her belongings.
The woman wrote down Munguia’s license plate number as he drove away and flagged down a police officer to whom she reported the attack.
The second victim told investigators the suspect “regularly recorded the attacks on her throughout the morning with his cell phone. She recalled that at one point, the suspect told her he did this to other women in the past, posted videos on the dark web, and offered her $8,000 to cooperate.”
Detectives identified Munguia through DMV records and the victims' descriptions of the suspect’s home.
On June 29, 2022, police said the victim identified the defendant in a photo lineup.
One of the victims had visible residue of duct tape on her wrist, records said. The other had injuries to her neck, wrists, and ankles “consistent with being bound.”
On June 30, Munguia was arrested in Gilbert. He reportedly had one of the victims’ phones. Detectives found a large knife and a roll of duct tape in his car.
During a search warrant at Munguia’s home, investigators found the victim’s clothing. Munguia reportedly admitted to having sex with two of the victims but claimed the interactions were consensual.
Detectives found 18,000 videos on his phone During a forensic analysis of Munguia’s phone, records say.
The videos allegedly showed the 25-year-old sexually assaulting and torturing five victims who were bound and gagged.
Investigators identified six of the seven victims seen in the videos.
If you have any information helping locate the remaining woman, you are asked to call Phoenix police at 602-262-6151 or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.
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Silent Witness:
Arizona's Silent Witness program allows people to send in tips and share information about crimes happening within their local communities.
The program shares unsolved felony case information in multiple ways, including TV, radio and social media.
Anyone who has information on a crime or recognizes a suspect described by the program is asked to call 480-948-6377, go to the program's website online or download the Silent Witness app to provide a tip. The identity of anyone who submits a tip is kept anonymous.
Calls to Silent Witness are answered 24/7 by a live person and submitted tips are accepted at all times. Submitted tips are then sent to the detective(s) in charge of the specific case.
Individuals who submit tips that lead to an arrest or indictment in the case can get a reward of up to $1,000.
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