1986: Phoenix sexual assault, kidnapping suspect arrested

PHOENIX — After 38 years, a suspect accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a Phoenix child has been identified and arrested, authorities said Friday.

Phoenix detectives and Texas authorities located David Roy Mundt, 61, in August using investigative genetic genealogy because the suspect had eluded identification in two previous attempts. The Phoenix Police Department said it has established probable cause and issued a warrant for Mundt’s arrest in Texas.

Mundt was connected to two separate cases of kidnapping and sexual assaultthe first being on July 6, 1986, in Phoenix near 10th Street and Coral Gables Drive.

Officers responded to an early morning call that a young child had been kidnapped. Callers told Phoenix police that the suspect had also broken into their home overnight. The child was located and returned to his parents quickly after authorities arrived on the scene.

The second incident occurred on October 28, 1992, when a child went missing in Henderson, Texas.

The trail went cold in both cases because DNA at the scene processed by Phoenix PD Cold Case Sex Crimes detectives did not match a known person.

A suspect in the 1986 sexual assault of a young child has been arrested. The same suspect was linked to a similar 1992 sexual assault of a minor in Texas.

The collaborative effort of #PHXPD and @TxDPS resulted in the arrest of the suspect.

— Phoenix Police (@PhoenixPolice) October 31, 2024

Mundt is currently being held in Texas pending extradition proceedings and will be transported to Phoenix to face related charges.

The Maricopa County Prosecutor’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety Rangers and Phoenix PD Crime Lab personnel also played a role in solving this case.

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