A man with a criminal background was charged with murder just hours after a former Iowa State University champion golfer turned up dead in a pond on an Iowa golf course.
Collin Daniel Richards, 22, who police said has no known address and, according to court records, was kicked out of the grandparents’ house a year ago, was charged with first-degree murder in Celia Barquin Arozamena’s stabbing death Monday night.
Police found her body at Coldwater Links golf course near Iowa State University in Ames.
Richards purportedly made statements to an acquaintance recently “to the effect of having an urge to rape and kill a woman,” according to a criminal complaint made public Tuesday.
Barquin Arozamena, 22, a native of Spain, was recently named Iowa State’s female athlete of the year.
Barquin Arozamena had turned pro this past spring after completing her college golfing career. Earlier this year, she qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open in Alabama, one of the LPGA Tour’s majors.
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The Ames Police Department opened a suspicious death investigation Monday morning when golfers found her cellphone and golf bag on the ninth hole of the golf course “with no one around it,” according to a police statement.
Officers responded and found Barquin’s body in a pond near her golf bag and determined she had been assaulted, according to the criminal complaint.
“Based on the scene investigation, the victim sustained several stab wounds to the upper torso, head, and neck,” the criminal complaint stated.
Police searched the golf course and stopped a man walking on a trail near the golf course who identified himself as an acquaintance of Richards.
A K-9 unit tracked the victim’s scent to a homeless encampment on the banks of Squaw Creek near the golf course, according to the criminal complaint.
Police were searching the camp, which consisted of two tents, when Richards approached them.
“Officers observed the … [Richards] had several fresh scratches on his face consistent with fighting, and also noted [he] attempted to conceal a deep laceration to his left hand, which he attempted to bury in the ground,” the criminal complaint reads.
Police also contacted an acquaintance of Richards who told them the suspect showed up at his residence near the golf course Monday afternoon and that he “appeared disheveled and covered in blood, sand and water,” according to the complaint.
The man told police Richards left his house after bathing and washing his clothes, the complaint stated
Police said they recovered a knife that Richards allegedly gave to two witnesses, according to the complaint. Police also found a pair of blood-stained shorts in Richards’ backpack.
Several law enforcement agencies, including the Iowa State University Police Department, assisted in the investigation.
“This is a tragic and senseless loss of a talented young woman and an acclaimed student athlete,” Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen said in a statement Monday. “We mourn with her family and friends in Spain, her teammates here and all who knew her.”
Barquin Arozamena claimed the 2018 Big 12 Championship with a three-shot victory in April, according to the university, which called her one of the most accomplished golfers in the school’s history. She was finishing her civil engineering degree this semester.
The death of Barquin Arozamena prompted the Iowa State women’s golf team to withdraw from competition at the East and West Match Play tournament in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to return to Iowa to mourn the former teammate, the team said in a tweet.
The team was scheduled Tuesday to play for the tournament title.
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“We are all devastated,” Christie Martens, Iowa State head women’s golf coach, said in a statement. “Celia was a beautiful person who was loved by all her teammates and friends. She loved Iowa State and was an outstanding representative for our school. We will never forget her competitive drive to be the best and her passion for life.”
Iowa State Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard added: “Celia had an infectious smile, a bubbly personality and anyone fortunate enough to know her was blessed. Our Cyclone family mourns the tragic loss of Celia, a spectacular student-athlete and ISU ambassador.”
Barquin Arozamena qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament in Shoal Creek, Alabama, this summer but did not make the cut after the first two rounds.
The university’s Athletics Department said it plans to honor her memory at a football game Saturday at the school’s Jack Trice Stadium, which is across the street from where police found her body.
Arrangements are pending.
“I’m just kind of surprised,” ISU freshman Isaac Sachse told Iowa ABC Des Moines affiliate.
“First it was the kidnapping and now this. It’s kind of horrifying,” he added, referring to the death of University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts earlier this summer.
The Ames Police Department did not release many details about the suspect and authorities could not locate a “known address” for him.
Richards has a criminal record, according to court documents. He has pleaded guilty to charges of domestic abuse, assault, theft and public intoxication in the past, the records show.
ABC News’ Matt Foster contributed to this report.
