Son found his father unconscious at hospital after fatal assault, robbery on NW side
Jesus Mazariegos’s family didn’t know what happened to him the day he was robbed, beaten and taken via ambulance to the hospital where he died a few days later.
On the morning of April 25, the 70-year-old's adult son dropped him off at the bakery where he worked on Indianapolis’ northwest side. Mazariegos normally took the bus home from work and would call his son if he was running late.
The man’s son arrived at their apartment complex off North Mission Drive that evening. Mazariegos wasn’t home and his phone was going to voicemail. The son drove to his father’s workplace and was told by the manager that Mazariegos left work at 4:30 p.m.
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Mazariegos’ son began calling area hospitals and discovered his father was an unidentified patient. By the time his son arrived at the hospital, Mazariegos was unconscious.
Hospital staff gave the son a bag with clothing and other property, but Mazariegos’ phone and wallet were missing.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police say Mazariegos was robbed and beaten outside his apartment complex. He died four days later April 29 from his injuries suffered in the assault.
Joshua Dye, 30, was arrested Monday and charged with robbery and felony murder in connection with Mazariegos’ death.
Dye was also charged with the robbery of a separate person 25 minutes after and one-tenth of a mile away from where Mazariegos was robbed, according to a probable cause affidavit for Dye’s arrest.
A witness said she saw the end of the robbery of Mazariegos. She told investigators she saw a man violently shaking Mazariegos before he fell to the ground. Mazariegos was left brain dead and had blunt force injuries, fractured ribs and internal bleeding after the attack, according to investigators.
The Marion County Coroner’s Office determined Mazariegos’ cause of death was possible physical assault resulting in blunt force injuries.
Originally from Guatemala, Mazariegos spent 20 years in Indianapolis. He was trying to escape poverty and follow his American dream, said his son Jésus Alberto Chan.
Tracking down a murder suspect
The robbery of Mazariegos was not captured on the apartment complex’s security cameras, but shortly before the assault the cameras captured a man parking a blue Subaru Outback on the property, then walking toward where Mazariegos was found injured, according to investigators.
The man returned to the vehicle and appeared to be examining a wallet while wearing a dark ski mask.
Investigators learned a second man was robbed shortly after Mazariegos. The second victim was walking in a field behind a laundromat on High school Road. Detectives discovered a blue Subaru Outback was parked in front of the laundromat moments before the robbery.
In security footage, detectives saw a woman, who the vehicle is registered under, go inside the laundromat, with a man identified as Dye.
Dye was wearing the same clothing as the man who robbed Mazariegos, according to the probable cause affidavit.
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Dye is seen in surveillance video handling what appeared to be a ski mask then running to the rear of the laundromat and into the field where the second robbery took place, according to police.
The second person robbed told police he was walking back to the laundromat to finish his laundry after leaving to go to another store when a man approached, struck him in the face, and stole his wallet.
On Monday, the blue Subaru Outback was located by an investigator at a motel on Indianapolis’ west side. Dye as well as the owner of the vehicle were both detained.
During an interview with detectives, the owner of the Subaru told police Dye robbed a man at an apartment complex on North Mission Drive and another man near the laundromat.
Dye also allegedly told investigators he was involved in the two robberies using the blue Subaru Outback as transportation, according to investigators.
Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Man was unidentified and unconscious after fatal Indianapolis robbery
