metro

Uber driver admits killing female passenger after raping her

Published

1 year ago

September 14, 2024

Chanti Dixon and Francisco Valadez

Uber driver admits killing female passenger after raping her

Police say an Uber driver recently arrested in the death of an Indianapolis woman admitted he r@ped, sh0t and k!lled her after picking her up from work Sunday morning, September 8.

Francisco Valadez, 29, was arrested Tuesday morning, September 10, by Indianapolis homicide detectives and preliminarily charged with m*rder.

The Uber driver reportedly admitted to police that he shot and k!lled 30-year-old Chanti Dixon in a fit of rage after picking her up and attempting to r@pe her in the back of his car.

Valadez also allegedly admitted to dumping Dixon’s body in an alleyway in a wooded area near the victim’s home after trying to r@pe her corpse again.

“This is just disgusting all around and it did not have to happen,” said Indianapolis Metro police chief Chris Bailey.

According to court documents filed Tuesday in Marion County Court, officers were called around 1 p.m. Monday, September 9, to the 1800 block of Wagner Lane after a woman’s body was found in a nearby wooded area.

IMPD arrived to find a woman naked, unresponsive and lying on her stomach. The victim’s family said they tracked her phone to the woods behind her home where they found her body and called the police.

The woman, later identified by the Marion County Coroner’s Office as Dixon was pronounced de@d on the scene.

After the crime scene was processed for evidence, it was discovered that Dixon had suffered a gunshot wound to the left side of her head.

A woman near the scene told police that the de@d woman was her daughter who had been missing since early Sunday morning. The woman told officers her daughter had gotten off work around 3:30 a.m. and ordered an Uber to get home. No one had talked to her since.

IMPD crews reportedly found two cell phones in the wooded area near Dixon’s body, both of which belonged to Dixon. Her mother gave police the passcodes for both phones, which investigators said would eventually lead them to Valadez.

READ ALSO:

Once back at the homicide office, detectives found that Dixon had ordered an Uber at 3:34 a.m. from the 2300 block of W. 16th Street. She reportedly made one stop along Washington Street in the Uber before being taken in the same car to her home address on Earhart Street.

According to data stored in the Uber app, Dixon’s driver drove a BMW with an Indiana license plate, which detectives later connected to Valadez.

Detectives then went to Valadez’s home and began questioning him about Dixon. He told police that he did pick up Dixon on Sunday but then began to tell a story of how an armed Black man came up to his car and tried to rob Dixon.

“[Valadez] added that the suspect shot [Dixon] in the thigh and that she kicked herself out of his car and he fled the scene,” police wrote.

“He also said that he had cleaned the blood out of his car.”

Police also reportedly spoke with Valadez’s mother, who told them that her son owned a gun that he regularly carried. She added that he had recently cleaned out his car.

After seizing items inside his car for evidence, police took Valadez in for interrogation.

Admission and arrest Detectives took Valadez to the IMPD homicide office where he was reportedly read his Miranda Rights and signed a waiver agreeing to speak with police.

After telling several stories about what happened to Dixon, Valadez reportedly admitted what actually happened.

“Mr Valadez told two different stories as to what happened with Ms Dixon,” police wrote in the court documents.

Detectives said Valadez admitted to r@ping the woman in the back of his car.

While r@ping the woman, Valadez said she insulted his body. This reportedly caused him to become enraged and shoot Dixon in the head.

Valadez told police that after the shooting, he dragged Dixon out of his car and placed her lifeless body behind a concrete barrier at the dead end of Wagner Lane.

The Uber driver also admitted to trying to have s*x with Dixon’s de@d body, police said.

READ ALSO:

Valadez was then taken into custody by IMPD and later booked into the Marion County Jail on a felony m*rder charge. IMPD officials said Tuesday that more charges can be expected in the case.

An initial court hearing has not yet been scheduled.

Indianapolis police officials held a news conference Tuesday afternoon discussing Dixon’s murder and the arrest of Valadez.

“This is disgusting, it’s disturbing,” IMPD Chief Chris Bailey said during the conference.

“No one deserves to be treated this way in our community and I am so sorry to her family that we’re here today.”

Bailey then touched on the effect this has on the victim’s family.

“This is a family that’s been ripped apart,” he said.

“This woman is gone from the world unnecessarily by an evil act, and I’m glad that we were able to find this individual as quickly as we did so that he didn’t have an opportunity to perpetuate violence further in our community.”

IMPD’s social media accounts posted a photo of a gun seized in relation to the case.

Bailey indicated that more charges were forthcoming in the case and stressed that the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office would make the final charging decision.

“Women, girls, mothers … they have a right to exist freely in our community without fear of something heinous happening to them,” said IMPD Assistant Chief Catherine Cummings. “They have a right to walk, bike, order a rideshare without fearing something bad will happen to them.”

While they insist the murder is an isolated incident, IMPD said ride-share users can always share their location with friends and family and that women should trust their instincts if things feel dangerous.

“Rideshares continue to be an excellent and safe option to use when you’re out in our community,” said Cummings. “This is a family’s worst nightmare. We’re disgusted by these allegations.”

Uber driver admits killing female passenger after raping her

Related Topics:female passenger rape Uber driver

Up Next

Parents locked up, tortured 12-year-old girl for two years in A’Ibom – NSCDC

Don't Miss

Troops eliminate more bandit leaders in Plateau

metro

Social Media Star Peller Arrested in Lagos for Live-Streamed Car Crash

Published

3 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Trends Admin

Nigerian TikTok star Peller

Social Media Star Peller Arrested in Lagos for Live-Streamed Car Crash

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested popular social media influencer Habeeb Hamzat, known as Peller, following a viral video showing him driving recklessly and crashing his vehicle during a live-stream.

According to a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, the arrest comes after public outrage over the dangerous road crash, which occurred on Sunday, December 14, 2025. The police described Peller’s actions as life-threatening, endangering both himself and other road users.

“The Lagos State Police Command has arrested and detained Habeeb Hamzat aka ‘PELLER’ for further investigation, following the viral video in which he was seen driving recklessly, resulting in a dangerous accident while live-streaming,” the statement partly read.

READ ALSO:

The incident is now under investigation by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), with the outcome to be made public. The suspect is expected to face charges in a court of competent jurisdiction.

Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Olohundare Jimoh, warned social media influencers and members of the public against using online platforms to engage in reckless or unlawful behaviour. “Such lawlessness will not be tolerated, and the full weight of the law will be applied on any offender,” he stated.

The crash has reignited debate over the rising trend of risky stunts by content creators, with many Nigerians calling for stricter enforcement to curb similar incidents.

Authorities continue to emphasize road safety, urging all drivers to comply with traffic regulations and warning that anyone endangering lives on the state’s roads, regardless of social status or online influence, will face prosecution.

This latest incident highlights the urgent need for responsible social media usage, public safety awareness, and stronger law enforcement against dangerous behaviour on Nigerian roads.

Social Media Star Peller Arrested in Lagos for Live-Streamed Car Crash

metro

Femi Falana Demands Arrest of Soldiers, 400 Terror Financiers Shielded Under Previous Administration

Published

4 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Trends Admin

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana

Femi Falana Demands Arrest of Soldiers, 400 Terror Financiers Shielded Under Previous Administration

LAGOS — Prominent human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, SAN, has petitioned the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, demanding the immediate arrest and prosecution of 10 soldiers accused of killing three police officers in Taraba State, as well as 400 alleged terrorism financiers whose cases were reportedly abandoned under the previous administration.

In his petition, Falana accused former AGF Abubakar Malami, SAN, of deliberately shielding the suspects from justice despite “overwhelming evidence.” Copies of the petition were also sent to the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.

“The withdrawal of terrorism charges against these soldiers and the failure to prosecute hundreds of terror financiers amount to a grave abuse of prosecutorial powers and a betrayal of public trust,” Falana said.

READ ALSO:

Falana recalled that in August 2019, 10 soldiers led by an Army Captain ambushed and killed three police officers in Jalingo, Taraba State, after they had arrested notorious kidnapper Bala Hamisu, also known as Wadume. Although the soldiers were initially charged with terrorism offences at the Federal High Court, Abuja, the case was abruptly terminated after Malami entered a nolle prosequi, which Falana described as unconstitutional.

He noted that while the United Arab Emirates convicted six Nigerians for financing Boko Haram—two sentenced to life imprisonment and four jailed for 10 years—Nigerian authorities failed to bring a single financier to justice.

Falana accused Malami of failing to prosecute the 400 suspected terrorism financiers arrested after investigations by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and Department of State Services (DSS), despite assurances that trials would commence after a judicial workers’ strike.

“The case files of these suspected financiers are reportedly still in the Office of the Attorney-General, while many of the suspects have regained their freedom. Nigeria cannot win the war against terrorism while protecting those who finance and execute it. The era of impunity must end,” Falana added.

Femi Falana Demands Arrest of Soldiers, 400 Terror Financiers Shielded Under Previous Administration

metro

Updated: Nationwide Electricity faces threat as Gas Companies Cut Supplies

Published

5 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Trends Admin

Updated: Nationwide Electricity faces threat as Gas Companies Cut Supplies

Nigerians may experience power shortages this Yuletide as gas-to-power debt issues disrupt electricity generation across the country.

Gas companies have begun cutting supplies to thermal power plants over unpaid debts, forcing electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to reduce daily power supply.

On Tuesday, the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) informed customers across the South-East that low system frequency, caused by gas supply constraints, had necessitated load shedding by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). EEDC subsidiaries affected include MainPower, TransPower, FirstPower, NewEra, and EastLand.

Similarly, the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company confirmed that poor generation and allocation from generation companies (GenCos) were causing load shedding in its franchise areas.

READ ALSO:

The Association of Power Generation Companies (APGC) confirmed that gas producers had started cutting supply due to outstanding debts owed by the government, despite a recent approval of N185 billion by the Federal Government for payment of arrears to gas suppliers, announced on December 4, 2025, by Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo.

The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) further disclosed that gas pipeline vandalism in the upstream network has worsened the situation, causing reduced output from gas-fired power plants and a decline in national grid generation capacity. Emergency measures, including increased hydroelectric dispatch and voltage control interventions, have been activated to maintain system stability.

With over 80 per cent of grid-connected power plants relying on natural gas, the sector remains highly vulnerable to gas supply disruptions, raising fears of sustained power outages during the festive season unless liquidity issues and infrastructure vulnerabilities are urgently addressed.

The current development signals a critical need for government intervention, stakeholder coordination, and investment in gas infrastructure to prevent widespread electricity shortages across Nigeria.