Death Valley: Peoria Woman Accused of Killing 3-year-old Girl; Tattooed Man Booked on Suspicion of Murder and Kidnapping

We're still waiting for info from the Peoria Police Department on this one, but the Arizona Republic has a story on it already: A 27-year-old woman has been arrested for killing her boyfriend's 3-year-old niece. This is yet another truly heinous case of child abuse, whoever did it: The...

By Ray Stern

July 23, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

We're still waiting for info from the Peoria Police Department on this one, but the Arizona Republic has a story on it already: A 27-year-old woman has been arrested for killing her boyfriend's 3-year-old niece.

This is yet another truly heinous case of child abuse, whoever did it: The girl's lifeless body was found back in April with chunks of hair missing, cuts, and possibly a burn, as well as severe bruising. Doctors believe the girl would have survived the blunt-force injuries if only someone had gotten immediate medical help.

Ayrin Amber Vick, of Peoria, was booked into the Maricopa County Jail yesterday on suspicion of child abuse and second-degree murder.

We're also following another case this morning -- that of Matthew Tomlinson, a man with extensive tattoos on his face and neck who was booked into jail on Tuesday on suspicion of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and second-degree burglary.

We're awaiting records on both of these cases, so check this post later for an update.

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Phoenix New Times has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.

Ray Stern is the former news editor of Phoenix New Times. He worked as a newspaper reporter in Arizona for more than two decades. He's won numerous awards for his reporting, including the Arizona Press Club's Don Bolles Award for Investigative Journalism.