Suspect in Freezer Body Investigation Found in Montana

Suspect in Freezer Body Investigation Found in Montana


Save Story
Leer en espaƱol

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

(KSL News/AP) -- The Bountiful teenager accused of killing his mother is now in custody, after being on the run for several days. Police caught up to Jeremy Hauck in Montana.

Suspect in Freezer Body Investigation Found in Montana

Police tracked Jeremy Hauck down in a Missoula motel room last night. He surrendered peacefully, after police surrounded the place and called him on the phone.

Hauck was arrested for investigation of automobile theft, said Bountiful police Detective Randy Pickett. His mother's blue 2001 Toyota was found at the motel. Officials said he had three guns, ammunition and a knife when he was arrested.

Detectives from the Bountiful Police Department traveled to Missoula to interview the teenager, but he declined to speak to police on the advice of an attorney.

The teen has been on the run since officers discovered his mother's body in their basement freezer earlier this week.

Hauck is scheduled to be arraigned Friday in Missoula's 4th District Court, said the Missoula County attorney's office.

Bountiful police will be seeking Hauck's extradition to Utah, Pickett said. An arrest warrant for Hauck for investigation of first-degree murder was issued Thursday, Pickett said. He said search warrants were also obtained for the motel and the car.

Family members were relieved to hear Jeremy had been arrested. They were planning to bury Laura in her hometown of Missoula. They weren't going to allow any children to go to the funeral. Laura Hauck grew up in St. Ignatius, Mont., and had previously lived in Missoula. She moved to Utah about two years ago.

Annie Call, Victim's Niece: "And we didn't know if Jeremy was planning on going out in a ball of fire and taking the family with him, we just didn't know."

John Garlock, Victim's Nephew: "I moved my family away last night, it got to that level. Didn't want to go home this morning."

Laura Hauck
Laura Hauck

Police believe Laura Hauck was killed Friday night or early Saturday morning. They say she was shot in her bed and then stuffed in a freezer. Jeremy has family and friends in Missoula, so police began calling every hotel and motel in the area. A clerk identified the teen and his car.

Suspect in Freezer Body Investigation Found in Montana

Family members hope the arrest will lead to some answers in this case. They say Jeremy was smart but quiet and socially awkward. They say his mother would have done anything for him.

Laura Hauck's brother, Michael Umphrey, said Thursday his sister's death came as a complete shock to friends and family members.

"There was never any indication from Laura that Jeremy was any trouble at all," Umphrey said.

Family members said Jeremy Hauck planned on attending Weber State University to study forensic science.

"He wanted to be a crime scene investigator," Umphrey said.

Laura Hauck's funeral will be on Saturday.

(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)

Related links

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah

STAY IN THE KNOW

Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

KSL Weather Forecast