The Disappearance of Elizibeth 'Lizzy' Green

Elizibeth 'Lizzy' Green has been missing since April 17th, 2024. The then-21-year-old was last seen Callao, Utah. On the day of her disappearance, Lizzy left her family's home to walk a short distance to her new job at a nearby ranch. She has never been seen or heard from again.

Prior to vanishing, Lizzy was living in Callao with her mother, stepfather, and brothers. Callao is a small desert town in Utah with approximately only 50 residents. The nearest city is reportedly hours away. As such, the employment opportunities in Callao are likely not as vast as they are in suburban or urban areas; however, Lizzy had just gotten a job at a ranch near her family's home.

The day Lizzy vanished was supposed to be her first day working at the ranch. According to the owner of the ranch, Lizzy never arrived. When she also did not return home that evening, her family members and other Callao residents searched for her to no avail. The family contacted the Juab County Sheriff's Office the following morning to report Lizzy missing.

Searches were conducted in the area between Lizzy's home and the ranch. Search and rescue teams also did a grid search with helicopters. Unfortunately, no sign of Lizzy was found. Investigators also searched Lizzy's family's property and the ranch property. According to reports, nothing suspicious was found.

Investigators eventually obtained search warrants for Lizzy's cell phone activity and social media accounts. It was determined that Lizzy was talking to "several people" online via Snapchat and a dating app. At this point, though, it is unclear if this plays a role in her disappearance. Lizzy's cell phone has not been used since the day she vanished.

Lizzy's loved ones stated that Lizzy sometimes struggled with mental health and had run away before, but always either returned or contacted family within a day or two. This time around, those closest to Lizzy do not believe she has stayed missing on her own accord.

The Juab County Sheriff's Office is in charge of investigating Lizzy's disappearance. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact authorities at 435-856-0358.

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Sources:
KUTV, (2)
People
Utah Dept. of Public Safety

The Murder of Baleigh Bagshaw

15-year-old Baleigh Bashaw was brutally murdered inside her own home May 7th, 2018. That day began as a typical day for the teenager; she went to school that morning and then returned to her Salt Lake City, Utah home around 3:00 PM. Upon Baleigh’s return home, she called her mother at work to check-in.

At some point during that phone conversation, Baleigh was attacked as her mother listened. Baleigh’s frantic mother then called a neighbor, who went to the home and found Baleigh dead. The attacker had already fled the scene.

Baleigh’s mother immediately had a gut feeling about the killer’s identity: 24-year-old Shaun French. French had lived in the home with Baleigh and her mother for six months during the previous year, until Baleigh’s mother kicked him out in July 2017. Baleigh and French still kept in touch after this, but Baleigh’s mother was unaware of the extent of their relationship until May 2nd, 2018—just 5 days before Baleigh was murdered.

That day, Baleigh confessed to her mother that she had been in a sexual relationship with French that began when she was 14 years old. Baleigh had recently ended the relationship, and French was not taking it well. It was clear at this point that French is a dangerous person. It was established that he had raped Baleigh, who was too young to consent to a sexual relationship. The events that followed proved exactly how dangerous French is - and it unfortunately cost Baleigh her life. 

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May 2nd, 2018: Baleigh's admission and the social media harassment. 

As previously stated, 15-year-old Baleigh confessed to her mother that she had been in an inappropriate sexual relationship with French, who was nearly a decade older than her, on May 2nd, 2018. Baleigh also explained that French was threatening to send her nude photographs to her mother and to post them on social media. 

In fact, as Baleigh and her mother were having this conversation, Baleigh’s mother received a nude picture of her daughter from a social media account that she did not recognize. The mother and daughter then decided to contact police and to secure a restraining order against French.

May 3rd, 2018: police confirm French is behind the social media accounts. 

The following day, police located the people behind the social media account who sent the explicit photos. Two people were involved, and they told police that they had created the social media account at French’s request and then had given him the password. One of the associates told police that French was obsessed with Baleigh and wanted to marry her. 

Police also contacted French that day, and he became aware that he was likely to get in trouble for statutory rape. From there, the situation seemingly escalated to murder. 

May 6th - 7th, 2018.

French and a male friend spent the days of May 6th and 7th in a park near Baleigh’s home in Salt Lake City. The male friend would later tell police that he dropped French off at Baleigh’s house on the 7th. When French returned, he was covered in blood and said he had to leave the state because he had killed a girl while she was talking on the phone. 

French allegedly told his friend, “I damn near cut her head off.” Following this admission, both French and the friend fled the area.

May 11th, 2018: French is apprehended.

Police ultimately located French and his male friend on May 11th, 2018, in Colorado. It was then that the friend told police his version of events. He also led them to a dumpster where they had discarded French’s knife and bloody clothes.

French was subsequently arrested, extradited back to Utah, and charged with aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, and sexual exploitation. He was held behind bars without bail.

source: Otero County Sheriff's Office

A guilty plea and sentencing.

In July 2020, Shaun French has pleaded guilty to the murder of Baleigh Bagshaw. While in court, French said he agreed to plead guilty so he would not face the death penalty. He told the judge, "Your honor, to be honest, it’s either this or the death penalty. This is the only thing to do. Yeah. It's either this or die."

On August 25th, 2020, French was sentenced to life in prison. During the court proceeding, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill expressed that this sentencing is the outcome both Baleigh's family and society needed to move forward. Gill explained, "This was a very horrific, very terrible crime of the murder of a young woman who had her entire life to look forward to. While we will never be able to replace her, we’ll never be able to give that kind of measure of justice. But the family can move on knowing society is safe and this person will never ever be free and he is going to die in prison."

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Sources:
ABC 4
CBS News
The Deseret Sun, (2)
The Salt Lake Tribune

The Disappearance of Kandis Harris

Image source: Bring Kandis Home (Facebook)

Kandis Rose Harris has been missing since July 2021. The then-17-year-vanished in Salt Lake City, Utah. At the time of her disappearance, Kandis was enrolled in an inpatient substance abuse program at a facility called the Odyssey House. On July 15th, 2021, Kandis hopped the fence of Odyssey House and never returned. Her loved ones have never seen or heard from her again. 

Kandis had been a ward of the state of Utah for about a year before she vanished. She had run away from multiple treatment centers - including the Odyssey House - several times throughout that year. However, Kandis was always eventually located and sent back. 

After leaving Odyssey House during July 2021, Kandis stayed active on social media for four days before all of her online activity ceased. At that point, fears for her safety increased. It was believed that Kandis was using a burner phone/device to access social media during this time, as she was not allowed to have a phone while at Odyssey House. The phone she had prior to going to Odyssey House yielded no clues to her whereabouts. 

There have been a few possible sightings of Kandis around Salt Lake, but none of them have been confirmed. Early into the investigation, authorities explored the possibility that Kandis fell victim to human trafficking - as she had been trafficked before in the past. It's unclear if this is still a prominent theory in the case.

Years have passed, and Kandis still remains missing. The Salt Lake City Police Department is investigating. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact the department at 801-799-3000.
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Sources:
ABC 4 News
Bring Kandis Home on Facebook
Charley Project

DISCLAIMER: The purpose of this post is to spread awareness about this case. The information provided in this post is information that was found through various sources on the internet. If any information on this post is inaccurate, please contact the author via email at truecasefiles@gmail.com or through Instagram and the errors can be corrected. Additionally, if you have any information that could improve the accuracy or quality of this post, please contact the author. 

The Disappearance of Haruchika Miyagi

 

Haruchika 'Haru' Miyagi has been missing since December 5th, 2015. The then-34-year-old was last seen in Dewey, Arizona. Haru created his own investment software program prior to his disappearance, and he was also involved with several other companies. Haru last updated his social media on December 3rd, 2015. He posted on Facebook, "The power of giving is important. Want to give as much as possible. It's called Karma” The events that followed Haru's final post remain a mystery to this day.

Although Haru was last seen in Dewey, Arizona, he was actually living in American Fork, Utah at the time of his disappearance. Dewey is located over 550 miles away from Haru's home and it is unclear why he was there on the day he vanished. According to family and friends, Haru did not have any known connections to that area, nor had he spoken about taking a trip there. 

Haru's known actions in Dewey were also extremely out-of-character. He reportedly trespassed onto private property on Med Bar Lane in the late afternoon. Haru approached the owner of the property and told her he needed a place to stay for the evening. The woman told Haru that he could not stay there, and she advised him to get a hotel in a nearby town. Haru then got back into his car and crashed into the property's closed gate before eventually driving out of the property's view. The property owner called the police around 5:00 PM to report the incident. 

Two hours later, Haru's car was found stuck in a wash near the Med Bar Road residence. There was significant damage to the front end of the vehicle. Haru was nowhere to be found, and he has never been seen or heard from again. Haru's car was eventually removed from the area by a tow truck. A few days later, police brought search dogs to the area to help look for Haru. It appears that no sign of Haru was found; the dogs reportedly did not pick up his scent. Phone records show that his phone pinged on a nearby cell tower shortly after he was seen on the Med Bar Road property, but the phone has since been shut off. 

Haruchika remains missing today. Authorities in both Arizona and Utah are investigating his disappearance. If you have any information that could lead to his whereabouts, please contact Arizona investigators at 928-771-3260 or Utah investigators at 801-763-3020.

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Sources:

Charley Project

Hot Nights Cold Cases

Utah Department of Public Safety

The Murder of Jenny Atkinson

Jenny Atkinson was at a turning point in her life during July 2012. At the time, the 31-year-old was living in Brigham City, Utah with her 12-year-old son. Jenny had recently completed a rehabilitation program after several years of struggling with drug addiction. After returning from rehab, Jenny enrolled in classes at Bridgerland Technical College. By all accounts, it appeared that Jenny was working towards providing a better life for both her and her son. Unfortunately, before Jenny's life could continue to progress, she vanished.

Jenny was last seen alive on July 17th, 2012, when she dropped her son off at a sleepover with friends. She did not return the next morning to pick her son up as planned. Over the next few days, Jenny's family members attempted to contact her, but all of their calls and texts went unanswered. She was reported missing by her father on July 23rd, 2012. 

A few weeks later, on August 10th, 2012, a group of kids spotted a body while hiking and camping at the Dock Flat Campground in Mantua. Police were called, and the human remains were recovered from the bottom of a steep ravine. The remains were later identified as that of Jenny Atkinson. Her vehicle, a Toyota Scion, was found parked a few hundred yards away.

Jenny's loved ones do not believe that she went to the location where her body was found on her own. The Dock Flat Campground is located up in the mountains. According to Jenny's father, the roads up to the campground are rough, and it seems unlikely that Jenny would drive her small vehicle there by herself. Additionally, it seems unlikely that Jenny would travel down the ravine on her own. Jenny had cerebral palsy and walked with a limp, so it is unlikely that she would be able to make it down a steep ravine. 

Due to her body's decomposition, authorities were unable to determine Jenny's exact cause of death. Police reportedly stated that her body had no obvious signs of trauma. Still, Jenny's death is being investigated as an unsolved murder.

Jenny's death caused many hardships for her family. Her loved ones are hoping to one day receive justice. If you have any information that could help solve Jenny's case, please contact the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office at 435-734-3800 or submit a tip here.

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Sources:

ABC 4

Project Cold Case

Utah Cold Cases

The Disappearance of Eztli Cortez-Trujillo

Eztli Cortez-Trujillo has been missing since April 23rd, 2020. The then-22-year-old was last seen North Ogden, Utah. Shortly before vanishing, Eztli got into a minor car accident on North Ogden Divide Road. A GrubHub driver saw Eztli on the side of the road and asked them if they wanted a ride. Eztli accepted the offer, but the driver had to complete a food delivery first. When the driver returned to the scene a short time later, Eztli was gone. The Volkswagen Eztli was driving remained abandoned on the side of the road.

The GrubHub driver called police to report the abandoned vehicle. Once police determined that the vehicle belonged to Eztli, the officers attempted to contact them to no avail. Later, Eztli's roommates and family members were informed that the vehicle had been crashed and abandoned. This immediately raised red flags, as Eztli's car was very important to them, and their loved ones do not believe they would have abandoned it for an extended period of time. After 48 hours passed without any sign of them, Eztli was finally reported missing.

Initially, the Salt Lake City Police Department was assigned Eztli's case. Eztli's family members attempted to contact SLCPD numerous times to discuss the case, but the investigators were reportedly unhelpful. The case was then given to Weber County investigators. 

Through Weber County's investigation, it was revealed that Eztli's phone pinged in Taos, New Mexico after their disappearance. However, reports state that investigators did not do anything to follow up on the ping. New Mexico is located over 600 miles away from Utah - an approximate 15-hour-drive. There is no known connection between Eztli and that area. 

The case was eventually handed back to the SLCPD. Salt Lake City investigators are still in charge of Eztli's case today. Eztli's loved ones have criticized the SLCPD for not putting more effort into Eztli's case. 

Eztli's family members were reportedly told that it was difficult for investigators to get warrants to search Eztli's phone records or bank accounts because they did not have evidence that Eztli did not disappear on their own accord. Still, Eztli's family and friends maintain that it is out-of-character for them to disappear or to be out-of-touch for extended periods of time. 

Certain reports state that Eztli was struggling with their mental health at the time of their disappearance. However, there are other conflicting reports of this on social media. It's unclear if police believe mental health plays a role in Eztli's disappearance.

Searches with drones and K-9 dogs near the area where Eztli was last seen all ended unsuccessfully. Eztli remains missing today. If you have any information that could lead to their whereabouts, please use this link to submit a tip.

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Sources:
ABC 4 Utah
Charley Project
Daily Utah Chronicle
Reddit

The Murder of Mackenzie Lueck

Mackenzie Lueck was tragically murdered at the age of 23 during the early morning hours of June 17th, 2019. 

Mackenzie was a student at the University of Utah, and she lived in Salt Lake City. She spent the final days of her life in her hometown of El Segundo, California, as she was visiting family for a funeral. Mackenzie boarded a flight back to Utah on the evening of June 16th, which landed in Salt Lake during the early morning hours of the 17th. She texted her parents around 2:00 AM to let them know she had landed safely. After that final text, Mackenzie's family never heard from her again. 

Over the next few days, Mackenzie's family and friends began to notice that something was off. When her father tried to message her on the 18th, he noticed that the messages were going through as text messages rather than iMessages-even though they both had iPhones. Her friends began to worry when Mackenzie did not show up to her shift at Millbrook medical lab, nor did she show up for an exam she was scheduled to take. Knowing this was uncharacteristic of her, Mackenzie's worried parents contacted Utah officials to report her missing on June 20th, 2019.

Throughout the investigation, detectives learned that Mackenzie left the airport on the morning of her disappearance in a Lyft car. Surveillance cameras at the airport captured her exiting the building at 2:40 AM. 

Mackenzie leaving the Salt Lake airport on the morning of June 17th

Detectives questioned the Lyft driver, who told them that he dropped Mackenzie off at Hatch Park and observed her getting into another vehicle. Both Lyft records and cell phone pings confirmed that Mackenzie exited the Lyft at the park at 2:59 AM. Mackenzie's family and friends did not know why she asked the Lyft driver to take her to the park instead of taking her home, nor did they know about any plans for her to meet someone there. Detectives then worked to identify who she met up with at the park. 

Mackenzie's cell phone records revealed that she was messaging with another person while in her Lyft. In fact, Mackenzie's final text message was sent to this person at 2:58 AM - just one minute before she exited the Lyft at Hatch Park. Her phone was shut off shortly after 3:00 AM.

Detectives later identified the person Mackenzie was messaging as a 31-year-old man named Ayoola Ajayi. After learning that Ajayi was the last person to communicate with Mackenzie, detectives went to his house in Fairpark to question him. He initially denied knowing Mackenzie, but later admitted they had briefly messaged after meeting on a dating app. Both Ajayi and Mackenzie had a dating app called 'Seeking Arrangements' downloaded on their phone--which is an app designed for people seeking a 'sugar daddy/sugar baby' type relationship. 

On June 26th, 2019, authorities executed a search warrant at Ajayi's house. Several items were seized during the search. His backyard was thoroughly searched as well. Two days later, on June 28th, 2019, Ayoola Ajayi was arrested and charged with aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping, desecration of a body and obstructing justice in relation to the Mackenzie Lueck case. 

It was then confirmed that detectives had found tissue/DNA belonging to Mackenzie at Ajayi's house. Additionally, it was revealed that on the morning of June 17th Ajayi's cell phone pinged off the same tower Mackenzie's phone pinged off of for the final time--and his ping occurred just a minute after hers. At that point, it became clear that Ajayi picked Mackenzie up at the park that morning. 

Once Ajayi was behind bars, investigators continued to comb through evidence and build their case. The evidence they gathered eventually revealed a harrowing story about what happened to Mackenzie.

Ayoola Ajayi

Both cell phone records and DNA evidence proved that Mackenzie and Ajayi were together during the morning of June 17th. Ajayi's cell phone records also revealed other information that would be vital to the case. The records showed that on June 25th, 2019 - very shortly after he was initially questioned by police - Ajayi traveled to Logan Canyon. 

On July 3rd, 2019, Mackenzie's body was found at said canyon. She was found with her arms bound behind her back with rope. It appeared her body had been burned, as well. An autopsy revealed that she had been beaten and strangled. Mackenzie's official cause of death was listed as blunt force trauma. 

After Mackenzie's body was found, it became clear that Ajayi had not buried her at Logan Canyon until June 25th--eight days after she was killed, and just one day after he was questioned by police. Evidence from Ajayi's backyard revealed that Mackenzie had previously been buried there. Additionally, Ajayi's neighbors told police that there was a "horrible smell" coming from Ajayi's backyard firepit on June 17th and 18th. 

Although it was clear that Ajayi was the person who murdered Mackenzie, investigators struggled to find a motive. He did not have a criminal record prior to this incident. However, he was investigated for a sexual assault case in 2014. The victim in this case was an adult woman, and she ultimately decided not to press charges.

Additionally, Ajayi's ex-wife revealed that she had stopped speaking with him years earlier, as he made her fear for her life. Ayayi also reportedly self-published numerous books to Amazon that depicted violence and murder. The books have since been removed. 

In October 2020, over a year after Mackenzie's murder, Ayayi pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and desecration of a human body. During the court proceeding, the prosecutor stated that Mackenzie and Ayayi met on the dating app at some point in 2018. The two finally decided to meet in person during June 2019. 

Unbeknownst to Mackenzie, Ayayi had already planned to murder her before they had even met. After picking her up at the park on the morning of June 17th, he brought Mackenzie back to his house where he bound her arms behind her back. Ayayi then began to strangle her. He eventually beat her before forcing her face down on the bed and strangling her with a belt.

In exchange for his guilty plea, the prosecution agreed to drop the kidnapping charges against Ayayi. The death penalty was also taken off the table. Ayayi will spend the rest of his life in prison. 

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Sources:
The Cut
Deseret News (2)
KSL TV
The Salt Lake Tribune

The Murder of Anne Kasprzak

Annie Kasprzak was only 15 years-old when she was brutally murdered in March 2012. 

The young girl faced a lot of hard times during her short life. Annie spent most of her childhood in the foster system before she was adopted by Veronica and Dennis Kasprzak when she was nine years old. At some point after the adoption, Veronica and Dennis got divorced and remarried to other people. Annie primarily lived with Veronica and her new husband James Bratcher at their home in Draper, Utah. She also still spent plenty of time with Dennis and his new wife as well.

Annie was last seen by Veronica and James around 7:45 PM on March 10th, 2012. The couple checked Annie's bedroom about an hour later and noticed she was gone. Even more troubling, James found a note tucked under Annie's pillow that stated she was running away to California. Annie wrote in the note that she had told people she was pregnant even though she really was not. She ended the note by writing, "please don't try to look for me because I don't want to be found." After finding the note, Annie's mother and stepfather called the police to report her missing.

The police began their search by looking at Annie's cell phone records. They noticed that Annie's phone pinged several times between 8:45 PM and 9:22 PM in an area near the Jordan River. After the final ping at 9:22 PM, the cell phone went out of service. Annie's parents also shared her diary with police in hopes that it would provide clues as well. Annie had written in her diary about her possibly being pregnant with 14-year-old Darwin 'Christopher' Bagshaw's child. Christopher and Annie were dating at the time the diary entry was written.

 

Annie had told her parents that she was having sex with Christopher. Annie's parents had her take a pregnancy test, which came back negative. However, Annie had entries in her diary that were dated after she had taken the test that indicated that Christopher still thought she was pregnant, and he did not want the baby.

Based on the note Annie left behind, her parents felt that she planned to run away because she was embarrassed about faking her pregnancy. Once the cell phone pings revealed her phone was still in the area, Annie's parents had hope that she would come home. 

Unfortunately, that did not happen. The morning after Annie was reported missing, a jogger spotted a significant amount of blood under a pedestrian bridge near the Jordan River. Police were called, and investigators began searching the surrounding area. Shortly thereafter, they found Annie's body in the water. She had been brutally beaten to death. 

Annie's case then shifted into a murder investigation. Police inevitably questioned Christopher, but he denied even speaking with Annie on March 10th. Eventually, though, he admitted that he did speak with her on the phone that evening, but he did not know who killed her. 

Christopher also told police that both he and Annie had hung out at a mutual friend's house in the days before her murder. He explained that Annie got a nosebleed while they were hanging out, and that she might have dripped blood onto him - which would explain why he had a small bloodstain on one of his sneakers. Investigators seized the shoes, along with a few other items, and later confirmed that the blood on his shoe did, in fact, belong to Annie.

Although Christopher denied being involved in Annie's murder, it appeared that police had evidence that indicated otherwise. Still, police did not arrest Christopher right away. In fact, just a few days later, the investigation shifted away from Christopher altogether. 

About a week after Annie's murder, a woman named Joanna Franklin told police that she witnessed Annie being killed by Daniel Ferry (31) and Veanuia Vehekite (30) during a house party at Ferry's house. Franklin explained that Ferry got angry after Annie refused his sexual advances and subsequently beat her to death with the help of Vehekite.  

Ferry already had an extensive criminal history, which is why investigators did not think his potential involvement was far-fetched. Ferry and Vehekite were both subsequently arrested and held in custody on suspicion of murder. After their arrests, it appeared that Annie was closer to receiving justice. Unfortunately, this was far from the truth - and there would be many twists and turns in the case before justice was finally served.

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The attempt to build a murder case.

Daniel Ferry and Veanuia Vehekite. (source: Salt Lake County Jail)

With both Ferry and Vehekite behind bars, investigators then began to try and build their case against the two men. Investigators searched Daniel's house, and they found plenty of evidence of criminal activity - but ultimately nothing was found that linked Annie to Ferry or Vehekite. 

After searching Ferry's home, he was subsequently charged with both drug possession with intent to distribute and kidnapping. However, neither of those charges were related to Annie whatsoever. In fact, it was these very charges that would eliminate Ferry as a suspect in Annie's case altogether - as he was committing these crimes around the same time Annie was killed. 

Back to square one.

After determining it would have been impossible for Ferry to commit these crimes and kill Annie at the same time, police announced that Ferry and Vehekite were no longer suspects in Annie's murder. Joanna Franklin later admitted that she only told police that Ferry and Vehekite were responsible for Annie's death in hopes that it would help her break free of criminal charges that she was already facing.

After months of focusing on the wrong suspects, the investigators in Annie's case were back at square one. The case seemed to stall for a bit. Then, a new investigator took on the case, which ultimately reignited the fight to find Annie's killer. 

Circling back to Christopher Bagshaw.

The new investigator decided to take another look at those closest to Annie prior to her murder - including Christopher Bagshaw. 

Annie's friends reportedly told investigators that Annie had told them she was pregnant with Christopher's baby prior to her murder. Annie's cell phone records also contained messages that indicated that both Annie and Christopher had talked about running away together after she told him she was pregnant. 

Christopher's cell phone records also contained messages that he had sent to his friend, asking said friend to lie on his behalf about why Annie's blood was on his shoe. The text message read, "The cops might come back to your house. I need you to tell them that Anne got a bloody nose cause she did, but you were lying down and she got some on my shoe and they took my shoes for testing and I need you to tell them that so I don’t get blamed." 

Additionally, Christopher's cell phone records confirmed that Christopher spoke to Annie's mother on the phone the night she was reported missing. Annie's mother had called Christopher to see if he knew where she was, but he denied knowing anything about her whereabouts. However, during that phone call, Christopher's cell phone pinged off a tower located just 100 meters from where Annie's body was later found. It is believed that said phone call occurred very shortly after Annie's death. 

Murder charges for Christopher.

In October 2014, over two years after the fact, Christopher was arrested and charged with Annie's murder.

Darwin 'Christopher' Bagshaw. (source: kutv.com)

Due to the fact that Christopher was only 14 years-old when the murder occurred, he was initially charged in juvenile court. Later, his charges were upgraded to adult status. 

Guilty plea.

In 2016, Christopher pleaded guilty to the murder charges. In court, prosecutors explained their belief that Christopher grew scared and angry after Annie told him she was pregnant with his child. He then lured Annie to meet him near the Jordan River under the false promise that the two of them would run away together.

Once they met up, Christopher attacked Annie and began beating her with a shovel. Annie fought for her life, but unfortunately Christopher overpowered her and beat her to death. He then dumped her body in the water.

Christopher faced a minimum of 15 years in prison, however at his sentencing, his defense attorneys argued that the sentence should be lesser since she was only 14 when the crime occurred. Still, the judge ultimately handed down a sentence of 15 years to life in prison. Christopher remains behind bars today.

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Sources:
CBS News
The Deseret Sun
True Crime Daily
Westword

The Disappearance & Murder of Elizabeth Salgado

26-year-old Elizabeth Salgado had been living in the United States for just three weeks when she vanished on April 16th, 2015. Elizabeth was born and raised in Mexico, but had recently decided to move to Provo, Utah after serving a mission for the Mormon church. Elizabeth was still learning proficiency in the English language, but she wanted to study among other Mormons and had received a scholarship to the Nomen Global Language Center in Provo. On the day of her disappearance, Elizabeth was last seen after leaving the language center around 2pm. She planned to walk 18 blocks back to her apartment, however she never made it home and was never seen again.

Elizabeth’s uncle Rudemberth Salgado was supposed to go to Wal-Mart with Elizabeth that afternoon. Rudemberth said that Elizabeth texted him for the last time at 2:39pm, and he was unable to get ahold of her after that. Later that evening, Elizabeth’s mother called Rudemberth worried because she had not heard from her. Rudemberth then went to Elizabeth’s apartment, where she lived with 3 roommates, and nobody answered the door. 

The following day, Rudemberth’s brother/Elizabeth’s other uncle Rosemberg Salgado, who lives in California, reported Elizabeth’s disappearance to Provo police. He then temporarily relocated to Provo to help search for her. From there, Rosemberg took on the role as spokesperson for the Salgado family as they pushed to get Elizabeth’s face in the media.

Certain people grew suspicious of Rudemberth and Rosemberg early on in the search for Elizabeth. In fact, a man named Alex Villalobos organized and led four separate searches for Elizabeth before quitting due to his suspicions of the uncles. Alex said that he believed the two “cared more about raising money than finding her.”

Others said that they found the uncles’ attitudes to be “off-putting”, some even accused them of selling Elizabeth into a trafficking ring. The uncles vehemently denied any involvement in the case, and as months passed without any trace of Elizabeth, those suspicions seemed to die down amongst locals. However, these suspicions remained prevalent on the Internet. According to police, though, both men fully cooperated with the investigation.

Years passed without any trace of Elizabeth. Then, in 2018, human remains were found in some bushes near Hobble Creek Canyon, 13 miles away from where Elizabeth was last seen. On May 24th, 2018, those remains were positively identified as that of Elizabeth Salgado. 

Very little information about Elizabeth's death has been revealed, but authorities state that Elizabeth was murdered. The investigation is ongoing, but so far, no arrests have been made. If you have any information that could help the investigation, please contact the Provo police at (801) 852-6210.

Elizabeth Smart Victim Impact Statement at the Sentencing of Brian David Mitchell

Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped in 2002, at the age of 14, by Brian David Mitchell. Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee, held Elizabeth captive in a remote tent in the woods of Utah. After 9 months of torture, Elizabeth was brought to a Burger King by her kidnappers--where she was recognized from her 'Missing Persons' poster by a patron who called police.

"I don’t have very much to say to you. I know exactly what you did. I know that you know that what you did was wrong. You did it with full knowledge...but I have a wonderful life now and no matter what you do, you will never affect me again. You took away nine months of my life that can never be returned. You will have to be held responsible for those actions, whether it’s in this life or the next, and I hope you are ready for when that time comes."

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(source)

Today, Elizabeth is an advocate for kidnapping survivors and works to help families with missing loved ones. She has written a book about her ordeal, which is available here. An A&E miniseries about Elizabeth can also be found here. 

Timeline Series: The Murder of Lauren McCluskey

Lauren McCluskey (21)

Lauren McCluskey was murdered by her ex-boyfriend Melvin Rowland (37) on October 22nd, 2018. The University of Utah student and track-and-field athlete only dated Melvin for about a month, until Lauren found out that Melvin had a plethora of secrets he had kept from her. This case is on the List Series post about break-up violence and a longer write-up about the case can be found here. Below, an extensive timeline is provided.

September 2nd, 2018: Lauren meets Melvin Rowland--who tells her his name is Shawn--at a bar in Salt Lake City, where Melvin worked as a bouncer. The two immediately hit it off and become a couple within days of dating.

Melvin Rowland

September 2018: As their relationship progresses, Melvin begins to frequently visit Lauren at her residence hall on the University of Utah campus and he starts forming friendships with Lauren's friends and other students around campus.

The University of Utah campus, where Lauren was enrolled as a student

September 30th, 2018: Two of Lauren's friends speak with their dorm building's RA to report that they are concerned about Lauren dating a man who was much older than he said he was, and that he was trying to control her.

October 2nd, 2018: A housing report is submitted regarding the concerns about Lauren.

Redacted housing report 

October 2nd-9th, 2018: At some point throughout the reports, Lauren finds out that Melvin is unfortunately not the person she thought he was. She learned that Melvin lied about his age and his prior felony convictions for forcible attempted sexual assault and enticing a minor. Lauren decides to end her relationship with Melvin as a result.

Melvin Rowland mugshot

October 9th, 2018: Lauren invites Melvin to her dorm building so she can end her relationship with him. She confronted him with the information she learned, and he reportedly admitted to being a sex offender but denied that he was 37 years old. Despite ending the relationship, Lauren allows Melvin to spend the night in her dorm room and agrees to let him borrow her car the following day.

October 10th, 2018: Lauren's mother calls the university's campus security and asks an officer to escort Lauren to retrieve her car from Melvin. Campus security contacts Lauren, who declines their assistance. She tells them that Melvin was going to drop her car off at her building and she was comfortable with him doing so. Around 5pm, though, Lauren contacts campus security and tells them that her car had been dropped off at the Rice-Eccles stadium and she needed somebody to escort her to pick it up. A security officer later picks her up and takes her to get her car.

October 12th, 2018: Lauren contacts campus police to report that she was receiving text messages that stated Melvin was dead, and that it was her fault. She explains that she was able to verify via social media that the messages were untrue; but she still felt that Melvin's friends were trying to lure her out of her dorm.

Excerpt from the incident report (kslnewsradio.com)

October 13th, 2018: Lauren contacts campus police again and tells them that she was receiving text messages from someone threatening to post explicit pictures of her and Melvin together unless she paid them $1000. She ended up wiring the money before she went to Public Safety building to file an official complaint.

Another excerpt from the incident report

October 19th, 2018: A campus police detective contacts Lauren to talk about the extortion investigation. She tells the detective that she believes Melvin was the person trying to extort her. She had recently received more threatening voicemails, and she had recognized Melvin's voice. The detective explains to her that subpoenas would need to be field and that the process would take some time. 

That same day, Lauren later called Salt Lake City police to express concern that campus police were not moving fast enough on her case.

October 22nd, 2018 10:39am: Lauren e-mails detectives stating that she had received texts from a person claiming to be Deputy Chief Rick McLenon, asking her to meet him at a police station. Police confirmed that the messages were fake.

October 22nd, 2018 8:20pm: Lauren is on the phone with her mother as she is walking to a night class when she is confronted by Melvin in the parking lot. He grabbed her, causing Lauren to drop all of her personal belongings, and dragged her to a nearby car. Once Melvin forced Lauren inside the car, he drove away and then he shot her multiple times in the head, killing her. 

Residence hall where Lauren resided

October 22nd, 2018 8:23pm: Lauren's father calls police dispatch and explains that he believes his daughter is in danger.

October 22nd, 2018 8:32pm: Officers arrive at Lauren's dorm building and find her belongings scattered across the parking lot. Back-up is called, and a search for Lauren in the dorm building and surrounding areas is begun. 

October 22nd, 2018 8:38pm: Melvin calls an acquaintance he met on a dating site and asks her to come pick him up at the campus. The two went to dinner together before returning to the woman's home where Melvin took a shower. Afterwards, she dropped him off at a coffee shop. 

October 22nd, 2018 9:55pm: Police find Lauren's body in a car on campus. 

October 22nd, 2018 9:56pm: A secure-in-place alert was set on campus. News about Lauren's shooting death begins to circulate. 

October 22nd, 2018 10:09pm: A description of the suspect is released. The woman who picked Melvin up on campus sees news reports about the shooting and calls the police.

October 22nd, 2018 11:46pm: The secure-in-place alert is lifted after it was determined Melvin had left the campus.

October 23rd, 2018 12:46pm: Police spot Melvin and pursue him on foot. He runs into Trinity AME Church and fatally shoots himself. 

Church where Melvin Rowland shot himself while running from police

Police were unfortunately never able to charge Melvin for Lauren's murder. Many people feel that the police failed to protect Lauren. In a written statement, her parents said, “There were numerous opportunities to protect her during the almost two weeks between the time when our daughter began expressing repeated, elevating, and persistent concerns about her situation and the time of her murder.”

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It's an unfortunate reality that many women are required take extra safety precautions in order to protect themselves from predators--even in places where they normally feel safe. Self defense kits and other resources are available here.