Buckeye mother assaulted in home invasion was set up by fiancé, police say
Alleged online plot uncovered by Buckeye detectives
A Buckeye mother fought off an intruder inside her home. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean learned police arrested her fiancé and another man in an alleged online plot.
BUCKEYE, Ariz. - Authorities say a Buckeye woman was attacked in her home as part of an online plot orchestrated by her fiancé and a man he met online.
The backstory:
"Detectives have arrested the fiancé of a Buckeye mom who was assaulted by a home intruder earlier this month. This assault was part of a plot between the victim’s fiancé and a Goodyear man he met online," said Carissa Planalp of the Buckeye Police Department in an Oct. 29 news release.
The incident happened on Oct. 16 at around 6 p.m. at a home near Southern Avenue and Miller Road.
The woman said she was home with her two kids when an unknown man walked into her home and attacked her. She fought off the suspect, and he was gone by the time police arrived.
"The next day, Buckeye Police identified the suspect as 20-year-old Adrian Ayala and arrested him at his home in Goodyear," Planalp said.
Dig deeper:
When Ayala was arrested, he reportedly told investigators "he went to the victim’s home after meeting her fiancé online and entering into an agreement with him to sexually assault the victim."
Police seized Ayala’s electronic devices along with those of the woman’s fiancé, 23-year-old Zarian Dyer.
"In reviewing data from those devices, investigators found evidence that Ayala and Dyer were communicating about the planned assault. The motive behind the plot is unknown at this time," Planalp said.
Ayala’s attorney said he was invited over by the victim’s partner as part of a roleplay scenario.
Zarian Dyer
During Dyer's initial appearance in court, prosecutors said evidence on Ayala's phone proved they were working together.
"This case involved the defendant using social media to set up the sexual assault of his girlfriend, the mother of his children, on the co-conspirator's phone," said prosecutors.
Prosecutors said Dyer also wanted Ayala to Facetime him during the sexual assault.
Slew of charges:
Dyer was arrested on Thursday, Oct. 29 while he was at work near Roosevelt Street and Verrado Way. He's accused of several charges including aggravated assault, sexual abuse, attempted sexual assault, kidnapping and conspiracy.
Buckeye Police took Adrian Ayala and Zarian Dyer into custody after uncovering an alleged online agreement between the two men to stage an assault on Dyer's fiancée.
What they're saying:
"This was a terrifying ordeal for them. For this woman and her young children," Planalp said.
Surveillance video captured the moments she fought off Ayala in her driveway.
Buckeye Police took two men into custody after discovering an alleged online scheme targeting a Buckeye, Arizona mother at her residence.
"The suspect made some claims during the arrest that he had gone to the victim’s home because he had met the victim’s fiancé online and had struck a deal about committing this assault on this woman," Planalp said.
Police say investigators are still searching for a motive in the case, but that evidence suggests the woman had no idea about the assault scheme. Police commended the victim for being observant, even as she was being attacked in her own home.
"She was able to provide police with a description of the suspect vehicle, a partial plate, and so, that immediately gave our investigators something to work off of. To be observant, to promptly report, all those are important factors," Planalp said.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Carissa Planalp of the Buckeye Police Department, and Zarian Dyer's initial appearance in Maricopa County Superior Court.