Police: Unidentified shooting victim found inside suitcase near Saltair


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MAGNA — A body found in a suitcase along I-80 Thursday is not that of missing Provo woman Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado, police confirmed Friday.

But police are now investigating whether the body could be a woman who has been missing from Las Vegas since November.

The body was described as a middle-aged woman with long dark hair, Unified police said Friday. A tattoo of a pink breast cancer ribbon was found on the woman's left wrist, and she had apparently undergone a mastectomy of her right breast.

Police believe the woman died from a gunshot wound anywhere from "several weeks to several months" ago, said Unified Police Lt. Justin Hoyal. It wasn't clear how long ago her body was put in a suitcase and left on the side of I-80.

The woman's ethnicity was also unknown Friday. She was wearing jeans, a red and white tank top, and a red button-up shirt, and all of her clothing was size 8, according to Unified police, who have taken over the investigation.

Hoyal said the department received a "great" tip about the body's similarities with the description of Susana Villalvazo, a missing woman from the Las Vegas area. Investigators were actively looking into the tip, he said.

Missing Las Vegas woman

A statement from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on Nov. 7, 2014, described Villalvazo as an Hispanic woman, 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing about 140 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

"(Villalvazo) is missing a breast and has a pink ribbon tattoo on her left wrist," the statement said.

Police said Villalvazo disappeared under "suspicious circumstances."


I feel relieved and a little bit shocked and a little bit sad. Hopefully finally this nightmare ends (and) it's her body and we finally can get some peace.

–Juan Villasenor, Villalvalzo's cousin


Villalvazo's stepfather, 75-year-old Samuel Teran, also went missing on the same day, and the two may have been traveling together, according to police. Police were alerted to Teran's location two days later after his vehicle was spotted in a fast-food parking lot. However, he reportedly shot and killed himself when officers arrived and attempted to stop his vehicle.

Juan Villasenor, Villalvalzo’s cousin and family spokesman, said the woman’s relatives believe hers is the body found in the suitcase based on the description given by police.

“The description … matches my cousin’s body," Villasenor said. "I feel relieved and a little bit shocked and a little bit sad. Hopefully finally this nightmare ends (and) it’s her body and we finally can get some peace."

Villalvalzo’s family has endured an emotional roller coaster over the past several months, Villasenor said, after believing two different bodies found near Las Vegas may have been her.

"It’s been so long,” he said.

Unified Police are looking into whether Susana Villalvazo, pictured here, is the woman found in a suitcase on the side of I-80 on Thursday. (Photo: Las Vegas Metro Police Department)
Unified Police are looking into whether Susana Villalvazo, pictured here, is the woman found in a suitcase on the side of I-80 on Thursday. (Photo: Las Vegas Metro Police Department)

Relatives also believe Teran killed his stepdaughter based on statements from police and his decision to commit suicide when he was located by officers. Police told Vallalvazo’s family "that (Teran) did something to her," according to Villasenor.

“It took us by surprise what happened, because we never saw any incident between them, fighting or arguing or (anything) like that,” Villasenor said. "They just didn’t like each other. They didn’t have any conversation.”

Villasenor said family received information from police previously that Teran possibly drove to Utah at about the time he and his stepdaughter went missing.

Villasenor called his cousin a special person who had overcome a lot of setbacks to her health. Besides overcoming breast cancer, Villalvazo reportedly underwent back surgery after a horseback riding accident in Mexico.

“As you can tell, she was a survivor,” Villasenor said.

A Utah Department of Transportation worker found the suitcase along I-80 near Saltair just before 3 p.m. Thursday in a ravine just off the shoulder of the freeway. Investigators said the body was not dismembered.

Provo woman still missing

Provo police were involved in the investigation of the body but determined it wasn't Elena Salgado, who has been missing from Provo since April 16.


(Salgado's parents) are relieved, but at the same time they're heartbroken for the family of whoever this deceased person belongs to. They are just so heartbroken that something like this can happen to anyone, to any human being, and how horrible a person can be to do this sort of thing.

–Sylvia Haro, Salgado family spokeswoman


"The information we have received indicates that the (Utah Highway Patrol) investigation is in no way related to the disappearance of Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado," Provo police said in a prepared statement Friday.

Sylvia Haro, who has acted as the spokeswoman for Salgado's family, said the family received a text from Provo's police chief informing them that the body was not their loved one.

"They did a DNA test," she said.

Haro said Friday's announcement prompted a mix of emotions from the family.

"They are relieved, but at the same time they're heartbroken for the family of whoever this deceased person belongs to. They are just so heartbroken that something like this can happen to anyone, to any human being, and how horrible a person can be to do this sort of thing," she said.

Anyone with information on Salgado's whereabouts is asked to contact Provo police at 801-852-6210.

Anyone with information on the I-80 homicide should call Unified police at 385-468-9817.

Contributing: Ben Lockhart, Keira Farrimond

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