Grand jury indicts Raymond Drinkhouse after unhoused man found dead beside Maryvale apartment complex dumpster
Indictment filed more than a year after November 2024 death in Phoenix’s Maryvale neighborhood
A Maricopa County grand jury has indicted 44-year-old Raymond Drinkhouse in connection with the death of 38-year-old Mark Anthony Montano, an unhoused man found dead near a community dumpster in Phoenix’s Maryvale neighborhood.
The case dates to November 2024, when Phoenix police patrol officers were approached by a witness near an apartment complex in the area of 55th Avenue and Indian School Road. Officers located Montano unresponsive on a couch next to the dumpsters. He was later confirmed dead.
Court records described physical evidence observed at the scene and later documented during the medical examination. A safety vest was wrapped around Montano’s neck and throat, and an autopsy reported that a plastic shopping bag was found inside his mouth and throat.
Charges and investigative timeline
The indictment includes first-degree murder, kidnapping and sexual assault. The filing follows an arrest announced on February 10, 2026, when police said Drinkhouse was taken into custody and booked into jail on a murder allegation while the investigation continued.
Investigators said the case initially stalled because they had no witnesses and no immediate leads. Police later collected and tested biological evidence from items associated with the victim, including clothing and the plastic bag referenced in court documents. Investigators reported that forensic testing produced a male DNA profile that matched Drinkhouse, and that results indicated his DNA was found on both items.
Victim: Mark Anthony Montano, 38.
Suspect: Raymond Drinkhouse, 44.
Location: Maryvale area, near 55th Avenue and Indian School Road.
Key dates: Death discovered in November 2024; arrest announced February 10, 2026; indictment announced March 11, 2026.
What an indictment means—and what remains unresolved
An indictment is a formal finding that prosecutors have presented enough evidence for the charges to proceed in court; it is not a determination of guilt. The accused is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case underscores how forensic evidence can become decisive when early investigative leads are limited, particularly in deaths involving vulnerable victims whose last known contacts may be difficult to reconstruct.
Authorities have not publicly detailed a motive or described any relationship between Montano and Drinkhouse. Police said Montano did not live at the apartment complex. The investigation has been described as ongoing, indicating that additional evidence, witnesses, or related allegations could still emerge through pretrial proceedings.
Drinkhouse’s trial is currently scheduled for October.