TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Last March, the Tucson Police Department found Casandrah Elena Poole’s body in a drainage tunnel near Stella and Wilmot. In a breakthrough in the case, the Tucson Police Department identified and arrested Luke Davis as the suspect in her death.
Poole passed away on March 14, 2024, leaving behind two young sons. Her mother, Victoria Poole, remembers her daughter as everyone’s friend.
“She was very helpful in any situation. If anybody needed something, she would be one of the first to volunteer,” Victoria shared. “That’s my baby. She was such a good lady, such a momma.”
Following the discovery of Casandrah’s body, TPD launched a thorough investigation. Initial forensic findings indicated that Casandrah had been stabbed with a knife. Police said Davis cut himself, so they used the DNA from the blood to look through local, state, national, and international databases.
However, they did not find any matches.
“It was frustrating because I believe about this time last year, the investigation stalled,” Victoria Poole said.
While they were doing their investigation, Poole gave TPD information about her daughter and the people closest to her.
The investigation continued, with detectives interviewing family members, friends, and former partners of Casandrah. Yet, none matched the DNA profile linked to the crime.
“They work diligently around the clock sometimes in trying to solve these cases and it’s hard to solve a murder case,” Victoria said.
In mid-2024, TPD asked the FBI for help, using genetic genealogy techniques that finally led to a breakthrough. They identified Luke Davis as a match to the DNA profile.
Victoria Poole said she doesn’t think her daughter knew Davis, and that the attack was random.
At the time of the crime, Davis lived about a fifth of a mile from where Casandrah died and was known to be periodically homeless. Since he was homeless, TPD said it was hard to find him. He was arrested last week at a home and is now facing second-degree murder charges.
Victoria Poole is hoping Davis gets life in prison without parole or the death penalty.
“This was such an act of violence that I really do hope justice is served, and I really believe that it will be when it comes to the trial in court," she said.
In support of other families dealing with cold cases, Victoria encourages families with a cold case to continue communicating anything they can to TPD.
“Keep feeding the detectives as much information as you can think of… it may be a good lead,” she said.
Davis is being held at the Pima County jail without bond.
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Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
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