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Suspect Arrested in Mississippi in Killing of 18-Year-Old Found in Tolleson

He awaits extradition to Arizona to face first-degree murder plus kidnapping charges.

Overview

  • Police say officers found 18-year-old Yessenia Gabriella Norman stabbed to death on Jan. 28 inside an apartment near 91st Avenue and I-10 in Tolleson.
  • Detectives report she had connected with 27-year-old Randal Basilio Santillan through a social media dating site before meeting him.
  • Norman left her Phoenix residence on Jan. 15 to meet Santillan and was reported missing by her roommate four days later.
  • The apartment where she was found was leased to Santillan, and investigators say he left Arizona shortly after the killing.
  • Tolleson police say Santillan was taken into custody around 7 a.m. Friday in Biloxi and is being held at the Harrison County Adult Detention Center pending extradition.