Couple accused of putting body in closet charged


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PROVO — A Provo couple accused of putting their dead friend's body in a closet, where it remained for nearly a week, were charged Wednesday with abuse or desecration of a body.

According to 4th District Court documents, Dallas J. Juggert, 20, will face a third-degree felony count while Mary Loueze Mace, 20, is charged with a class B misdemeanor. In addition, Mace faces counts of obstructing justice, a third-degree felony, and interfering with an arresting officer, a class B misdemeanor.

Anthony Tanner, 22, died of a drug overdose on April 7, according to Provo police. But rather than call somebody, Juggert allegedly put his body in a closet, according to charging documents.

Juggert called his sister and told her he was afraid to report what had happened "because they had been using drugs and he was trying to regain custody of his son," according to a probable cause statement filed when police arrested Juggert and booked him into the Utah County Jail.

Juggert told his sister he had contacted a person known as "Cupcake" who had a "clean up crew" and would "dispose of the body and any evidence," the report states.

But when Juggert learned his roommate's father was coming to the house, he fled, according to police.

Six days later, on April 13, police received a tip about a body hidden in the Castlebrook Condominium complex, 1439 W. Arthur Drive.

"Officers responded to the residence and could smell a decomposing body from the outside," the charges state. "The body was located in a closet. The body was wrapped in a moving blanket and had been shoved between two studs in the wall from which the drywall had been removed."

Tanner was identified through fingerprints and tattoos.

Juggert would later tell police he moved the body "from the upstairs where the victim had died, and (placed) it in the closet until he could figure out what to do with it," charging documents state.

Several days later, on April 19, police received information that Juggert was at a motel in Provo and had entered a room he did not rent, the charges state. When officers went to the room, Mace gave the officers a false name and claimed Juggert wasn't there.

"Mace would not allow officers to enter the room, but took a picture of the bathroom. In the picture, the officer could see someone hiding behind the bathroom door. Defendant Mace refused to acknowledge defendant Juggert's presence, even after having the consequences of obstructing justice," the charges state.

The officers entered the room and arrested both.

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Pat Reavy is a longtime police and courts reporter. He joined the KSL.com team in 2021, after many years of reporting at the Deseret News and KSL NewsRadio before that.

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