On Tuesday, December 13, 2022, shortly before 12:30 P.M., officers from the
Northwest Policing District and members from the Fresno Fire Department
responded to a dirt access road behind 4488 North Cornelia Avenue regarding a report of a deceased woman who appeared to have been set on fire. Officers
and Fire personnel arrived and located the deceased victim on the side of the dirt road.
The female had sustained what appeared to be numerous stab wounds and was severely burned. She also appeared to be pregnant from the development of her abdomen.
Homicide Detectives responded to the scene and worked collectively with Fresno Fire Department Arson Investigators.
A melted gas can was found feet away from the victim. They also detected the presence of an accelerant on the victim’s body.
Homicide detectives canvassed the scene and located a witness who reported
seeing a suspicious person on the dirt access road, starting a fire.
The witness told detectives that they had observed the suspicious person first pushing a city garbage bin to the area, and then lighting on fire what they believed to be trash.
As the investigation continued through the day, the identity of the victim was
determined to be 26-year-old N-Kya Logan. Detectives responded to N-Kya’s
residence, where she lived with her mother and 41-year-old brother, Aaron Dudley.
Surveillance video from the residential neighborhood captured images of Aaron Dudley pushing a city garbage bin through the neighborhood in the direction of 4488 North Cornelia. A search warrant was authored and issued for the residence.
Based upon the evidence obtained so far, detectives have determined N-Kya Logan was stabbed with a sharp object numerous times by Aaron while they were inside their residence.
Aaron took N-Kya into the garage, where he put her inside a city trash can. He then pushed the trash can to the dirt road behind 4488 North Cornelia, poured gasoline on her and lit her on fire.
Aaron Dudley has been taken into custody for the murder of his sister, N-Kya
Logan, and has been booked into the Fresno County Jail. Family members have
confirmed that N-Kya was 8-months pregnant. Chief Paco Balderrama said she held a baby shower a week prior, and had named the baby Noah.
During Wednesday’s press conference at Fresno Police headquarters, District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp said her office intends to file two counts of murder against Dudley, for the killings of the mother and unborn child, with special circumstances which means the death penalty or life in prison without parole. Additional charges may be filed pending the Coroner’s autopsy report.
This is the 57th and potentially the 58th murder of 2022. This time last year, Fresno had 71 murders.
Listen to the reports by KMJ’s Liz Kern.
