KDSN RADIO News
Suspect in Ames homicide apprehended in Sac County
Police confirmed the identity of a homicide victim in Ames after the suspect was arrested in Sac County. The Ames Police Department says 32-year-old Maria L. Hanian of Des Moines was found dead in an Ames apartment on August 19th. The man who was arrested in Sac County that same day and charged for the death is 26-year-old Oscar Chavez. The Sac County Sheriff's Office stated one of their deputies stopped a vehicle at about 11:55 p.m. on August 19th near Auburn for an alleged stop sign violation. Authorities reported Chavez being evasive with questions, complaining of a potential medical issue, and being unable to produce a form of identification. Further investigation of the vehicle led to paperwork being found identifying Chavez. Chavez then allegedly confessed to the deputy that he shot and killed his girlfriend in Ames. The Sac County Sheriff's Office contacted police in Ames and confirmed that Chavez was a suspect. They arrested Chavez without further incident, took him to a Sac City hospital, and then transferred him to the Sac County Sheriff's Office. Detectives from Ames Police and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation traveled to Sac County and took custody of Chavez and his vehicle. He is charged with first-degree murder and is held in the Story County Jail on a $1 million bond as the investigation remains ongoing.