Knoxville Police Department (KPD) detectives are investigating a homicide after the body of 18-year-old Suceli Perez was found in a truck bed in Oak Ridge. The investigation began Monday afternoon when KPD received a report that a man, identified as Juan Carlos Diaz Perez, had “gravely injured” his girlfriend at a home on the 1200 block of Mercer Street.
Upon arrival at the Mercer Street residence, detectives discovered evidence of a potentially deadly assault. However, neither Perez nor Diaz Perez were at the scene. KPD officers soon found Perez’s body in the bed of a truck, but Diaz Perez was not near the vehicle.
Following this discovery, KPD, alongside the Oak Ridge Police Department (ORPD), Roane County Sheriff’s Office, Blount County Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Marshal Service, launched a search for Diaz Perez in the Wisconsin Avenue area of Oak Ridge. The search extended late into Monday night as officers scoured the area.
The following afternoon, the U.S. Marshals Service announced that Diaz Perez was apprehended just after 5:30 p.m. near the quarry in Oak Ridge. He was subsequently transported back to Knoxville by KPD.
The circumstances surrounding the assault and the events leading up to Perez’s death are still under investigation. The collaboration between multiple law enforcement agencies highlights the severity and urgency of the situation. This tragic event has undoubtedly left a significant impact on the community as they await further details from the investigation.