Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- The family of Jason Lloyd, a deceased Tooele man, is speaking out after Salt Lake City Police officers allegedly mistreated his body.
- An internal investigation revealed officers violated conduct standards, including a hazing prank involving a rookie officer.
- The family questions the department's accountability, while disciplinary actions were taken against involved officers.
SALT LAKE CITY — The family of a Tooele man whose body was cut by a Salt Lake City police officer last year is speaking out after details into the department's internal investigation were released through a public records request.
"Jason was a big teddy bear; he was a sweetheart, always very kind-natured, very mellow," Heather Fisher said of her big brother, Jason Lloyd, 47.
However, according to Fisher, Lloyd also suffered a debilitating mental illness that, after exhausting all resources available to help him, led him to prefer living outside on the streets.
Still, Lloyd maintained a strong connection to his loved ones, and his stepfather visited him every week, ensuring he had supplies and essentials including money.
"My dad knew all of his spots," Fisher said. "He took him sleeping bags, heaters in the winter, extra propane, food, Big Macs – because he loved Big Macs."
Fisher said Lloyd often shared what his family gave him with other people experiencing homelessness. "It's just who he was," Fisher said.
Last August, Lloyd's family was devastated when police called to inform them Lloyd was found deceased.
"My parents saw him four days before he was found," Fisher said.
"My husband and I took him a new tent, new shoes," Cassi Henwood, Lloyd's mother, said.
According to Henwood and Fisher, the medical examiner ruled 47-year-old Lloyd's death accidental and was unable to determine how exactly he died. Heartbroken, Lloyd's family laid him to rest.
"We want it to be known that he was not abandoned. He was loved, and we did the best we could to support him," Henwood said.
Last Thursday, they were expecting news of Lloyd's headstone, but instead, they got a call from the Salt Lake City Police Department about an internal investigation into officers' handling of Lloyd's body.
"We knew nothing," Henwood said.
"It's obvious they weren't going to tell us unless they had to," Fisher said. "They only told us the day before it all went public."
On Friday, Lloyd's family and the public learned the details of the investigation. Through a public records request, the department released bodycam footage from the officers who responded to the scene. The footage showed what the police department, in an initial report, described as a "multitude of violations" of standards of conduct with the entire incident having "the potential to bring massive discredit to the department."
As part of a hazing prank, rookie officer Dakota Smigel was inappropriately instructed to cut blisters on Lloyd's arm with a box cutter. His trainer, other officers, and staff with the medical examiner's office, including contractors, laughed.
"We didn't know it was made into a prank; we just didn't even have a clue the depth of how awful it was until seeing that footage," Fisher said. "He was a human being, and he was loved, and I don't care if he was homeless. He was a person, and he mattered, and I felt like they treated him like garbage."
Lloyd's family is devastated and questioned why no one from the police department or those representing the medical examiner's office were fired.
In total, the police department's internal affairs investigation found four officers violated one or more police department or city policies. The department imposed disciplinary actions ranging from a formal letter of warning to an unpaid suspension.
The training officer, Mark Keep, resigned, and officer Michelle Peterson was issued a formal letter of warning.
Lloyd's family also questioned whether the incident was an isolated case or representative of something more sinister.
"They were way too comfortable acting like that even with body cameras on. This can't be their first time," Fisher said.
"We think it has probably happened many times, and they are just so used to being insensitive," Henwood said.
"It's not OK, and I don't want this to happen to any human being," Fisher said.
Another officer, Paul Mullenax, was suspended for three days. Mullenax is also named in a separate case, a civil lawsuit alleging he and another officer used excessive force in a 2023 incident involving a woman experiencing homelessness. The officers are accused of breaking the woman's leg to the point of her needing an amputation during a takedown maneuver despite being unarmed and compliant, according to the lawsuit.
"While we cannot comment on pending litigation, we are committed to our department's core values that include compassion, in every interaction, especially with people experiencing homelessness," a police department spokesperson said in an email response to KSL-TV. "If we fall short, we take responsibility, learn, improve, and hold ourselves accountable."
On Friday, Feb. 28, the medical examiner's office confirmed it also conducted an investigation into the incident.
