Man’s body found stuffed in drainage pipe, CO officials say. Now, woman sentenced

A woman is going to prison after being accused of killing a man in 2022, Colorado officials said.

In October 2023, Colorado Springs officers got an anonymous tip that led them to a drainage pipe with a bag inside, according to a news release by the city.

Inside the bag were human remains later identified as Daxcimo Ceja, officers said.

The investigation into Ceja’s death started in March 2022 but police hadn’t found his body, officials said.

In April 2022, officers got an arrest warrant for Deka Simmons, 38, the city said.

Officials didn’t specify what led to the crime or if Simmons knew Ceja.

Two and a half years after the premeditated crime, Simmons was found guilty of murder, tampering with evidence and tampering with a dead body, according to an Aug. 22 Facebook post by the district attorney’s office.

She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, prosecutors said.

Colorado Springs is about a 70-mile drive south from Denver.

This story was originally published August 22, 2024 at 3:16 PM with the headline "Man’s body found stuffed in drainage pipe, CO officials say. Now, woman sentenced."