US News
New York City woman survives knife attack during hiking trip in Arizona
A suspect has been taken into federal custody and faces an assault charge following an incident on the Havasupai Indian Reservation.
The short version
- Alexis Rowan, a 27-year-old mother from New York City, survived a knife attack on Wednesday, August 19, during a hiking trip at the Havasupai Indian Reservation in Arizona.
- The attack was interrupted and the suspect fled after a resident in a nearby home heard the victim's screams and opened her door.
- The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Havasupai tribe member Taylor Nardo Paya, was arrested the following day and faces a federal assault charge.
Key facts
- Alexis Rowan was attacked on August 19, leaving her with a slashed neck requiring 10 stitches and a stabbed hand requiring three stitches.[Fox News]
- The suspect, Taylor Nardo Paya, allegedly approached Rowan from behind, slashed her neck, and dragged her by her hair before fleeing when a nearby resident opened her door.[Fox News]
- Reservation police located Paya on August 20 by tracking Rowan's phone, which prosecutors say he allegedly stole after it fell from her backpack.[Fox News]
- Because the incident occurred on tribal land, Paya was taken into federal custody and faces a federal charge of assault with a deadly weapon.[Fox News]
- Paya previously pleaded guilty in 2016 to robbing and assaulting another woman in 2015, resulting in a five-year prison sentence.[Fox News]