Fenris Lu, 31, is facing felony charges after Phoenix police say he entered the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner, unzipped 11 body bags and sexually abused four of the corpses, a case the department announced last week. A longtime friend of Lu’s who asked not to be identified said he had growing alarm about Lu’s mental health and drug use in the weeks and months leading up to the arrest and drove to Phoenix from Washington state to see him after mutual friends reported they could not reach him.
A man in a cowboy hat and dark jacket poses on a red‑rock trail while a companion’s face is blurred; this photo was used in AZFamily coverage related to reporting on the Phoenix morgue break‑in and a friend’s comments.
"It’s weird for a person just disappear. Mutual friends told me to check the news. At first, I took a pause," the friend said, describing the moment he learned of the allegations. He said his attempt to reach Lu failed and it was only when he could not make contact that he began to piece together the reports of the break‑in and the disturbing acts described by authorities.
The friend told investigators and reporters he does not believe the actions as reported were solely the product of deliberate, criminal intent to "satisfy himself sexually and get away with it." "I strongly believe that he was in some kind of psychosis or mental illness state," the friend said, offering the view that Lu’s behavior reflected a serious break from the person he had known for years.
Those who know Lu described a background that moves between academic promise and recent personal turmoil. The friend said Lu is originally from China, where his parents still live, and previously enrolled in a Ph.D. program at the University of Washington, where he at one point taught other students. The friend said Lu later moved to Phoenix for a relationship and took classes at Arizona State University. He characterized the relationship as "toxic" and said Lu had a hard time moving on after a breakup.
The friend pointed to substance use as a central factor in what he described as Lu’s downward trajectory. "His addiction to methamphetamine started in Seattle and followed him to Phoenix," he said, adding that the person he knew and the person accused in the allegations were not the same. "He’s not a criminal and that drugs motivated the behavior," the friend said, framing the episode as the result of addiction and untreated illness rather than a premeditated pattern of criminal conduct.
Along with describing Lu’s struggles, the friend expressed sympathy for the families whose loved ones were housed in the medical examiner’s facility at the time of the incident. "I feel really sorry for all the families that have their loved ones in that facility, and they’ve been assaulted like this," he said, while also adding, "but it also this could’ve been prevented if he had better help for people who struggle with addiction and illness." The comment reflects his belief that earlier intervention for mental health and substance use disorders might have altered the course of events.
The friend said he tried to help as Lu’s condition worsened, including taking him on hikes and spending time trying to maintain contact, but that over time Lu became someone he did not recognize. "His intellect was really beautiful. You could talk to him about signs theories, and it was fun and we talked about life and anything and as much of a genius he is he’s also not right in the head for what happened to him I’m really sorry that this happened to him," the friend said. He added that the kind of behavior alleged in the break‑in was not something Lu had previously shown interest in or inclination toward.
Officials have said little beyond the core facts of the case. Police reported the incident last week and the criminal complaint alleges that Lu unzipped multiple body bags and abused four bodies. Lu is scheduled to appear back in court this week. Authorities have not publicly confirmed whether all of the families of the victims have been notified.
No additional criminal history, motive or timeline beyond what law enforcement has released was provided by the friend, and his account focused on Lu’s decline and the intersections of mental health, relationship turmoil and substance use. Court proceedings will continue this week as investigators and prosecutors pursue the case in the wake of the allegations.