The Goodyear City Council blocked Police Chief Noah Yeo from testifying about evidence mishandling in the Cunningham murder trial during a meeting Tuesday, officials said. The decision came amid ongoing concerns over the police department’s property and evidence unit failing to properly track chain of custody, which has delayed the trial since early March 2026.
The Goodyear City Council’s decision to block Police Chief Brian Issitt from testifying came as defense attorneys for Germayne Cunningham renewed their request for an interview with Issitt, citing a factual basis for his testimony regarding evidence mishandling, according to court filings dated April 1, 2026. Assistant City Attorney Anthony Polse sent an email on the same day stating the city would not make Chief Issitt available for a defense interview, maintaining the city’s objection despite initially understanding the defense request had been withdrawn. The defense attorneys attached emails to their motion, highlighting prior conversations between Issitt and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office that are not captured in the records, underscoring the need for Issitt’s testimony in the Cunningham murder trial.
Goodyear Police Detective Noah Yeo, the lead detective on the Cunningham case with 18 years of service, described the evidence handling issues as a “serious problem” and warned of a potential “massive s***storm” during an administrative investigation earlier this year.
The Cunningham murder trial has been on hold since early March 2026 due to ongoing problems with the Goodyear Police Department’s property and evidence unit, which has failed to properly track the chain of custody for critical evidence, according to court documents and police sources. The trial involves Lisa and Germayne Cunningham, who are accused of murdering their seven-year-old daughter in 2017. The delay stems from concerns about the integrity of evidence handling that could jeopardize the prosecution’s case, with a court hearing scheduled for the week following April 1 to determine if the jury can continue through June 2026.
Yeo raised concerns internally about the property and evidence unit’s failures, which include the ability for technicians to manipulate dates and times in the evidence tracking system without documentation, records show. Yeo declined to comment to reporters, directing inquiries to the department’s public information officer.
The Goodyear Police Department’s property and evidence unit has not undergone a formal audit since 2017, according to confidential administrative investigation reports obtained by ABC15. The reports reveal that the evidence tracking system has produced “strange,” “wacky,” and “erroneous” dates and times, allowing evidence to be re-packaged and re-taped without proper documentation. These systemic problems have raised concerns about the chain of custody for evidence not only in the Cunningham case but also in other investigations spanning nearly a decade.
An internal administrative investigation initiated by the Goodyear Police Department included fact-finding interviews and resulted in a confidential report marked “CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION – DO NOT REPRODUCE,” which recommended further investigation. In response, Goodyear requested the City of Chandler to conduct an independent investigation into the evidence mishandling, sources confirmed. The probe covers issues that date back almost 10 years, highlighting longstanding deficiencies in the department’s property and evidence management.
The defense attorneys for Germayne Cunningham argue that the police department knew about the evidence mishandling issues before the trial began but failed to disclose them, according to court filings. The defense has expressed concerns that the lack of transparency and proper documentation could result in a mistrial if the jury determines it cannot continue with the case. The trial, which began approximately eight months ago in October 2025, is at risk due to these unresolved chain of custody problems.
City officials, including Assistant City Attorney Anthony Polse, have objected to interviews or testimony from Chief Issitt regarding the evidence mishandling, citing legal grounds, according to city correspondence. ABC15 requested an interview with Chief Issitt in March 2026, but the request was denied. Neither the Goodyear City Council nor Mayor has responded to media inquiries about the decision to block Issitt’s testimony or the broader evidence issues affecting the police department.
The evidence mishandling has jeopardized not only the Cunningham child murder trial but also other cases handled by the Goodyear Police Department, sources confirmed. There is no documented explanation for why certain evidence actions occurred, such as the re-packaging of a phone’s evidence package, raising questions about the integrity of the department’s evidence handling procedures. Detective Yeo warned that hundreds of pages of documents reveal decade-long concerns about the property and evidence unit’s operations.
A judge may hold an evidentiary hearing to address the evidence chain of custody issues, but the timing of such a hearing remains unknown, according to court officials. The upcoming court hearing next week will focus on whether the jury can continue deliberations through June 2026 despite the ongoing evidence concerns. The outcome of that hearing could determine the future of the Cunningham murder trial and the handling of evidence in related cases.
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