PHOENIX, AZ – Arizona law enforcement officials have detained a man implicated in the savage killing of a sex worker in a New York City hotel. The suspect, 26-year-old Raad Almansoori, is accused of fatally assaulting 38-year-old Denisse Oleas-Arancibia, a mother of two, and fleeing the scene donned in the victim’s leggings.
The grim discovery of Oleas-Arancibia’s body was made at the SoHo 54 Hotel on Watts Street on February 8. Police reports indicate her body was concealed under a blanket, with shards of plastic lodged in her skull. The cause of death was ruled a homicide, resulting from blunt force trauma.
The NYPD launched an extensive search for the suspect, who was allegedly spotted leaving the crime scene in Oleas-Arancibia’s leggings. Bloodied men’s pants were found in close proximity to the victim’s body.
Almansoori was apprehended on Sunday in a stolen vehicle, following a pursuit related to another crime. He is accused of abducting a female McDonald’s worker, confining her in the women’s restroom, and stabbing her multiple times. He is also linked to a carjacking and stabbing incident involving another woman in Phoenix. Both victims in Arizona survived their encounters with Almansoori.
In Arizona, Almansoori is facing a multitude of charges, including attempted homicide, robbery, and two counts of assault. His arrest has unveiled a series of alleged past crimes. He is reported to have kidnapped and sexually assaulted another sex worker in Sumter County, Florida, in 2023, but was released after posting bail in September. Almansoori also has an outstanding warrant in Texas.
Upon his arrest in Arizona, Almansoori admitted to the McDonald’s assault and the Phoenix stabbing. He also suggested that police look up the SoHo 54 hotel on Google.
The NYPD is seeking to extradite Almansoori to New York to face charges for Oleas-Arancibia’s murder. He was out on bail at the time of Oleas-Arancibia’s attack and has a lengthy out-of-state arrest record, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny.
Oleas-Arancibia, who moved to the United States five years ago with her 18-year-old son, was reportedly exhibiting signs of anxiety and worry in the days preceding her death, her son Edwin Cevallos shared.