TAYLORSVILLE, Utah, March 19, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — The body of a victim allegedly abducted Sunday afternoon was found Tuesday morning, and the case is now a homicide investigation, a Taylorsville PD statement says.
The body was that of 21-year-old Alexzia Franco, who went by the name Alex and identified as male, the police statement says.
“The 21-year-old victim’s body was found early Tuesday morning by detectives in a remote desert area in Utah County,” the Taylorsville police statement says.
“Franco’s body was found with what appears to be a single gunshot wound.”
Two boys, ages 15 and 17, “have been arrested and were booked into the Salt Lake Valley Detention Center on multiple felony charges related to the homicide.”
The State Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the body to be that of Franco.
“Detectives believe they have arrested the person responsible for Franco’s shooting, but they are still actively working on contacting others who may have been present during the homicide,” the statement says.
Franco was seen getting into a white Jeep Liberty on Sunday afternoon around 4:15 p.m. in the area of 3800 W. 5700 South.
“Witnesses reported hearing a possible gunshot, and the vehicle sped away at a high rate of speed. Video footage also clearly identified the sound reported by witnesses as a gunshot. With this information, police began investigating the incident as a possible abduction and sought the public’s help in finding the vehicle and driver.”
On Monday afternoon, officers discovered a vehicle believed to be the Jeep involved in the incident, and further investigation led to the arrest of the two teenage suspects.
Police credited feedback from the community for aiding them in locating the vehicle, which was found in Salt Lake County.
In follow-up statements later Tuesday, police said the abduction took place on the street Franco lived on. Authorities were first notified of the abduction by “someone at Alex’s residence.”
Apparently, Franco got into the car, and a gunshot “almost immediately followed.”
Although police are still seeking a third person who was in the vehicle at the time of the shooting, they do not believe that individual poses a risk to the community.
“The case remains an open and active investigation,” and no information is currently being released regarding a possible motive.
