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MILLCREEK — Unified police arrested a man Saturday after discovering video surveillance of him leaving a body near a Millcreek dumpster.
At 6:24 a.m., officers responded to a distressed call reporting a body located near a dumpster at 3994 S. 300 West. They identified a female victim at the scene, according to a press release from the Unified Police Department.
As police investigated, they found surveillance video from a nearby business that provided them with crucial footage of a black truck arriving at the scene at 12:28 a.m. A male figure was seen pulling a body from the vehicle and attempting to dispose of it in the dumpster, but he ultimately left the body beside the dumpster before leaving the scene.
Through the security footage, detectives were able to identify the license plate number of the vehicle and track down that it belonged to Fred J. Edwards, a 46-year-old man from Salt Lake City. Due to preliminary findings, Unified police said they believe a shooting occurred within the vehicle resulting in the death of the woman, whom they identified as 25-year-old Esperanza Chavez.
Police also said in the press release they believe the incident "to be a culmination of an elongated domestic violence history between Mr. Edwards and Ms. Chavez."
The statement says officers successfully apprehended Edwards at University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City, where he was attempting to be evaluated. He is currently in custody and will be booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of homicide.
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition: Utah's confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
- Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
