Cold case: unsolved Maricopa murder and kidnapping

Have you ever thought about what you would do if you knew today was your last day on earth?

Would you pack up your old jeep and spend the day prospecting in the Quijotoa Mountains with your best friend? Or would you choose surfing off one of California’s sandy beaches? On the other hand, you might rather spend your last day bungee jumping off the Kawarau Bridge in New Zealand. If you had a choice, how would you spend your last day on earth? 

It is doubtful that Carrol Moody, a slender, redheaded young lady, had any of those thoughts on her mind as she clocked in for the evening shift July 11, 1985, at the Circle K on the north end of the small community of Maricopa. This recent graduate from the local high school was eagerly anticipating her next assignment in life when the door closed on her forever, and her dreams smashed into oblivion. 

What happened, you say? So how did she spend her last day on earth, you ask? What were her thoughts and her actions during these last terrifying hours of her life? Why did her demise go unanswered for so long and how extensive was the search for this missing young woman from the housing project in Maricopa who had just begun to live?

Did the cowardly culprits ever think of her…lying there…alone…under the scorching summer heat of the desert or during the long cold nights of winter so long ago?  Will someone ever find the answer? Will we ever know? Does anyone still care?

Carrol was born on March 24, 1965, in the small southeastern border town of Douglas, Arizona, to Tillman and Lois Moody. She grew up in the equally small-populated community of Maricopa, south of Phoenix in the middle of the Sonoran desert of Arizona.

It was in July of 1985 that 20-year-old Carrol Moody was abducted and her 31-year-old co-worker Florenda Benitez died during a robbery at the Circle K in Maricopa. The Circle K was located north of the tracks and on the west side of Maricopa Road.   According to investigative sources, the thieves appeared to have taken some bottled water, Gatorade, bags of ice, $16 from the cash register… and a young, frightened girl barely out of her teens.

The Circle K clerk, Florenda Benitez, a working mother with young children who depended upon her for survival, was from Casa Blanca. Later reports indicated she died of blunt force to the back of the head. Carrol Moody, hired six months previously, was kidnapped during the night shift. 

One customer remembered that he entered the Circle K late that evening to pick up a few items, and the store was empty except for the two clerks. He recalled they were busy preparing the shelves for the next day.  Benitez was bringing out boxes from the back, and Moody was busy stocking the shelves. It was a quiet and peaceful evening. He paid for his snacks and returned home in time to watch his movie …without a hint of how the evening would end for these two young women. 

No leads in murder and kidnapping
On September 27, 1985, a reward of $1000 was offered for information concerning the July 11, 1985, homicide/kidnapping/robbery of the Circle K. According to reports, the incident happened sometime during the third shift, between 1:23 and 3:25 a.m.

It was to be the last day on earth for Florenda Benitez, who was struck in the back of the head and left to die, and it may have been the last day for her co-worker, Carrol Moody, who was kidnapped. Moody had red hair, stood about 5 feet 5 inches and weighed 117 pounds. She was wearing a pink and white striped T-Shirt, jeans and a white Circle K smock. 

There were never any leads on this crime. However, on November 12, 1985, Pinal County Sheriff Frank Reyes announced he would hold a news conference at 10 a.m. At this conference, he stated that in the desolate desert south of Sacaton…on a hill…a family out hiking found some bones that may be those of the missing Circle K clerk. They were in the process of trying to locate her dentist to get a comparison of her dental records. 

When the autopsy reports were in, they concluded that the bones were indeed those of Carrol Moody, and that she had died of a wound to the back of the head. Sheriff Reyes refused to discuss the type of wound or any other circumstances in the death of this clerk.  Reyes claims that the method of slaying was “highly unusual and sensitive to solving the case.” In addition, Reyes stated that circumstances in the slaying limited the FBI to remaining in the background of the investigation. 

This atrocious crime remains unsolved today, and the cowardly perpetrator(s) were never apprehended or brought to earthly justice. The mystery of who killed Florenda and how Carrol spent her last day and final hours on earth still haunt those who are left to wonder how and why…but the memory of how she lit the world and our lives for a short time still shines. 

Photo courtesy of the Maricopa Historical Society

Editor’s note:  Maricopa factoids are a regular feature on InMaricopa.com. They are provided by the Maricopa Historical Society, a branch of the Friends of the Maricopa Public Library. Most information comes from “Reflections of a Desert Town” by author and historical society chairperson Patricia Brock. 

Gift Cards are available for Brock’s the new book: “Images of America: Maricopa” along with a short story of Maricopa. Contact Brock at 480-821-0604 or [email protected] to purchase a gift card or to reserve a copy of the book.