Charges against two men implicated in the death of a woman at Redington Pass were dropped this week.
A spokesperson for the Pima County Attorney’s Office said in an email that charges against Richard Radvansky and Jesse Ray Simonsen were dropped for insufficient evidence. The charges were dropped without prejudice and could be brought again following further investigation.
The two men were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in the death of Melissa Sparks, 28.
Sparks was found dead in a rural area off Redington Road on the far east side on Aug. 14.
The county Sheriff’s Department said Radvansky, 31, and Simonsen, 27, were with Sparks the day she died. Radvansky flagged down a passing car and asked the driver to call police because a friend had committed suicide, sheriff’s officials said.
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Both men were later found in the area where deputies detained them for questioning and later arrested them.
An incident report said the men admitted to drinking and doing drugs with Sparks on the night and early morning before she died.
The reports also said the three had had sex before Sparks’ death. The documents said Radvansky and Simonsen told deputies they had strangled Sparks while having sex.
Police documents noted the dead woman had bruising around her neck described as “obvious ligature marks.” An autopsy report from the Pima County Office of Medical Examiner is pending.
