PROVO, Utah, July 12, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A Provo woman was arrested Thursday after she allegedly watched a man overdose at a motel then pushed his body into the parking lot in an office chair after he was deceased.
Francesca Delfina Farias-Swenson, 21, is facing charges of:
- Abuse or desecration of a dead human body, a third-degree felony
- Obstruction of justice, a class A misdemeanor
- Reckless endangerment, a class A misdemeanor
On July 6, Provo Police Department responded to a report of a man who had had a drug overdose at the America’s Best Value Inn and Suites at 1625 W. Center St.
“The male was beyond lifesaving measures when found and appeared to have been dead for some time,” the statement said. “Francesca Farias-Swenson was with the male and indicated that she had been staying with him at the hotel. She was not the one who called 911, but another guest at the motel called at 12:42 p.m. when she noticed Farias-Swenson and different male pushing the deceased’s body into the parking lot on a wheeled office chair.”
Further investigation revealed that Farias-Swenson was allegedly taking pictures and videos of the male as he was overdosing and after he had died, the statement said. Some of these videos and images were captioned with phrases like “Vogue” or “Drugs kids.” The videos and images began that morning at 6:46 a.m. and went until noon. The video at noon shows beginning stages of decomposition that indicate the man had been dead for some time.
From 4:47 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. Farias-Swenson made 34 total phone calls, FaceTime videos, and Facebook Messenger calls, the statement said. None were to contact emergency services to get the man medical help.
“When interviewed on July 9, Farias-Swenson was asked if she regretted not calling 911,” the statement said. “She stated that she did not because she was at peace.”
Farias-Swenson and the other man also removed evidence of the overdose from the scene and hid other items in the water tank of the toilet or by flushing them, the statement said.
It’s not clear if the man who was with Farias-Swenson has been arrested.
The suspect was transported to Utah County Jail with her bail set at $8,930.
Farias-Swenson was also in the news in April 2019 after she was arrested in Utah County and allegedly asked if she could smoke a bowl of marijuana before heading off to jail.
A probable cause statement said prior to arrest, Farias-Swenson was drinking mouthwash to get intoxicated from the alcohol. She then called her boyfriend to come pick her up.
Farias-Swenson then got angry with her boyfriend and started to kick the front window of his vehicle, causing damage, the probable cause statement said.
The suspect asked police if she could smoke a bowl of marijuana before she went to jail, and said she had a pill bottle in her pocket that had marijuana in it, the probable cause statement said.
In that case, the suspect was charged with purchase, possession or consumption by a minor, a class B misdemeanor, possession or use of a controlled substance, a class B misdemeanor and criminal mischief, a class B misdemeanor.
