A Man Left a Tip About a 2017 Murder on a GoFundMe Page. Now a Suspect Is in Custody By KC Baker

A tip that led to an arrest in an cold case from eight years ago came from the unlikeliest of places: a GoFundMe page.

In 2017, Evin Paulos, 25, died after he was allegedly stabbed by his friend, Michael Anthony Arredondo, now 34, during an argument when they were traveling in a car together, the Phoenix Police Department said, according to AZ Family, Fox 10 and Action News 5.

The two were arguing inside a car and then got out of the car, where the fight escalated, police said.

Arredondo allegedly stabbed Paulos 30 times before fleeing the scene and then vanishing altogether, police said.

Paulos was found dead on June 3, 2017.

“We learned shortly after the incident occurred that he fled to California,” Det. Dominick Roestenberg said about Arredondo at a press conference posted on Facebook on Monday, Oct. 20. “He spent a short time there and eventually fled to Mexico.”

The case went cold — until now.

On Oct. 16, Phoenix police announced in a media advisory that Arredondo had been arrested in Mexico on Sept. 25 and extradited to San Diego.

Phoenix police detectives traveled to San Diego on Sept. 26 and interviewed Arredondo, who allegedly confessed to killing Paulos, according to the advisory.

He was extradited to Phoenix on Oct. 15, the advisory states.

“After eight long years, a family is a step closer toward justice,” the department said in the post on Facebook.

“In 2017, Evin Paulos’ life was tragically taken, leaving his family with heartbreak and unanswered questions. But thanks to the relentless work of Phoenix PD detectives, the United States Marshals Service and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, the suspect was finally located and brought back to the U.S. to face charges.”

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Authorities were able to track exactly where Arredondo was after a stranger who lives in Mexico left a message about his whereabouts on a GoFundMe page the family had set up to honor Paolos after his death, per the outlets.

Paulos’ sister, Eviein Paulos, said in the press conference that she wanted confirmation from the Mexican citizen who said he knew where Arredondo was.

“I told him,  ‘Please, I don’t know if this is a scam or not. Can you send me some kind of evidence, send me a picture?’” Eviein Paulos said. “And it was him [Arredondo]. He was just living life for eight years.”

Phoenix police said they never gave up looking for Paulos’ suspected killer.

“I think it sends a strong message to the community that even with the passage of time, we’re still looking for you, we’re still hunting you down,” Roestenberg said. ”Justice is going to take its course.”

Arredondo is charged with first-degree and second-degree murder. He is being held on a $1.5 million bond.

PEOPLE was not able to reach an attorney for him.