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SPANISH FORK, Utah, May 24, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — Law enforcement officials confirmed tragic news about Elizabeth Salgado on Thursday morning at a news conference in Spanish Fork.
Remains found Friday in Hobble Creek Canyon are those of Salgado, the 26-year-old woman missing from Provo since April 2015.
A man driving through the area, seeking privacy, had walked from the roadway to an off-trail area. That’s when he saw a human skull, with bones and some fabric nearby.
The medical examiner’s office used dental records and other indicators to confirm the body was that of Salgado — a native of Mexico and a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
She had moved to Provo to study English just three weeks before she went missing.
Now officials will focus on determining who took Salgado to the area and left her body.
“I have extreme faith in our investigators, and we will find you,” said Provo Police Chief Richard Ferguson, sending a message to the killer by way of the media.
Salgado had no car and could not have made many friends in the short time she was in Utah, officials said, so another person was involved, and the case is being investigated as a homicide.
Police say they have interviewed a number of people during the three-year investigation, but do not yet have a specific suspect in their sights.
“This is not the outcome we or the family wanted,” said Sgt. Spencer Cannon, Utah County Sheriff’s Office spokesman. “We will focus our resources on this case and will achieve justice for Elizabeth.”
Utah County Sheriff James Tracy said the man who reported the body will be interviewed again as part of the investigation but is not considered a suspect.
Anyone who may have information about the crime or a suspect is asked to call investigators at 801-851-4010.
