Based on recently discovered evidence and available information, the Flagstaff Police Department (FPD) now believes that 45-year-old Kelly Paduchowski may have been the victim of a homicide. After Kelly’s husband, Daniel Paduchowski, 58, was arrested on Monday night on suspicion of aggravated assault, the Florida Police Department (FPD) published a timeline of events that began on Sunday morning. Kelly Paduchowski’s cellphone was last seen in the vicinity of Schultz Creek Trail on Sunday at 10:20 a.m., according to the FPD’s update from Tuesday afternoon. Daniel was also seen in the same area about 11:30 a.m. on the same day. At around 12:13 p.m., Kelly’s phone was returned to their residence in the Coconino Estates area. Daniel and Kelly’s white Mazda CX-5 were seen at the Campbell Mesa trailhead about 1:30 in the afternoon.
At 7:39 p.m., Daniel then filed a missing person’s report for Kelly, stating that she might be near Lake Mary.
Since then, the FPD has coordinated a search and rescue operation with the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office in an attempt to find Kelly Paduchowski.
On Monday, a command center from the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and a helicopter from the Arizona Department of Public Safety assisted in setting up a search and rescue operation at the trailhead. According to a Nextdoor post, local enforcement was also asking for doorbell camera recordings from the couple’s neighborhood while they performed a search of the area on foot and by horseback. Search and rescue efforts at the FPD, according to Sgt. Jerry Rintala, public information officer. The area of the Campbell Mesa trailhead persisted on Tuesday, and the public was still encouraged to offer their assistance in finding Kelly.
Daniel was arrested on Monday night after the FPD interrogated witnesses and family members during the course of the inquiry over the previous few days. Daniel was admitted to the Coconino County Detention Facility on Monday at 10:07 p.m. on accusations of aggravated assault and possession/use of hazardous drugs, according to the facility’s daily logs.
A Flagstaff Justice Court court file states that Daniel’s bond was originally set at $500,000.
Tuesday’s report stated that homicide is now a possibility, even though the investigation is still underway and the FPD emphasized that finding Kelly is the main priority.