WEST VALLEY CITY, UTAH – August 8, 2015 (Gephardt Daily) – A newly released search warrant is providing new insights into the murder investigation of a 12-year-old West Valley City girl.
Kailey Vijil was killed in the early morning of July 17. Hours later, her body was found in a horse pasture about a half mile from her family’s house.
A 15-year-old neighbor boy, arrested later that day, has been charged with aggravated criminal homicide. It’s yet to be determined if he’ll be tried as an adult.
Information contained in a police search warrant made public Friday officially reveal for the first time that West Valley City detectives believed the child was sexually assaulted.
The graphic, six page document, filed in Salt Lake County Third District Court, paints a harrowing picture of the crime scene, as well as detailed account of the events leading up to the 12-year-old’s death.
According to the warrant, on the night of the murder “a person described as a white male approximately 5’3″ in height, with red hair and freckles, approximately fourteen years of age and wearing a blue shirt and Khaki colored shorts” knocked on the door of the victim’s home and asked if she could help him find his lost cat. She agreed and they left together.
At 1:15 a.m. Kailey Vijil’s mother, Deshawn Undergust, approached a West Valley police officer at the 7-11 near 4800 West 3500 South. She told the officer her daughter was missing and not answering her cell phone.
Mrs. Undergust described K.V. as a twelve year old Native American female with dark hair last seen wearing black colored flannel pajama bottoms with the batman logo on them and a shirt with a pink cape.
West Valley Policed Officers were dispatched to the area West Valley Police Officers were dispatched to the area to assist in attempting to locate K.V. (Keiley Vijil) and began to search the area as well as attempting to locate K.V. utilizing K.V.’s cellphone GPS coordinates information.
At the approximate time of 2:41 hours information received from K.V.’s cell phone coordinates information placed K.V.’s cell phone within 88 meters of latitude 40.694271, longitude – 112.014284.
Additional research conducted by Police dispatch the Latitude and Longitude equated to the address of 3581-3587 South 5200 West in West Valley City.
At the approximate time of 2:55 hours Officer Fredrickson, who is a West Valley City Police Officer, advised Police Dispatch that he was in an open field behind the approximate address of 3603 South 5200 West and had located a female lying on the ground at this location who was unresponsive and not believed to be breathing.
Detective Carver advised that in close proximity to this female he observed dark colored flannel pajama pants with prints on them as well as a red cape and flip flop style shoes and that he observed an item of clothing wrapped the female’s neck.
The female was lying on her back and not clothed.
Shortly after the body was discovered police detectives were approached by one of the child’s neighbors. She told officers that “a white male approximately fifteen years of age, with red hair knocked on the residential door of Ms. Thygerson’s home on July 16, 2015 at approximately 11:30 p.m. and asked her to speak to her granddaughter for assistance in searching for his pregnant cat.”
Thygerson refused allow her granddaughter to leave the home. She told detectives she recognized the red haired teenager and at one time provided care for his disabled older sister.
Police arrested the suspect at his family’s home later that morning.
According to the warrant, after being read his rights, the teen made several incriminating statements.
“He informed Detective Stanworth that he had spent time with a female matching the description of K.V. last night during the time period K.V. was missing from her home. J.S. (the suspect) also informed Detective Stanworth that he was in a field with K.V. during this time period.
Detective Stanworth also … observed a small amount of red substance that is believed to be consistent with blood on the right shoe J.S. was wearing.”
Crime scene investigators removed numerous items from the suspect’s home, including prospective DNA evidence.
The District Attorney’s Office has yet to determine if they’ll pursue the sexual assault charges.
The 15-year-old suspect is currently being held at the Salt Lake County Juvenile Detention Center, although he awaits a judge’s decision on whether or not he’ll be tried as an adult.
That decision is expected later this month.
