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SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake police are looking for three missing and "endangered" men following the discovery of an abandoned car with a large amount of blood in it.
Investigators on Tuesday said they were looking for Danny Kiko Gallegos, 35, Braden Parker Emerson, 23, and Levi Joseph Collins, 34. One or all of them may be endangered, said Salt Lake Police Sgt. Robin Heiden.
But police released few details Tuesday as to why they believed the three men were in danger, how long they had been missing, or if one or any of the men are considered suspects.
Detectives began their investigation about 10:40 a.m. Monday after business owners reported that a barking dog was inside an abandoned car near the Jordan River at 1740 W. 1500 South.
When animal control officers arrived, they noticed a "large" amount of blood in the vehicle and called police, Heiden said. A patrol officer responded and agreed that the amount of blood was suspicious and homicide detectives were called to the scene.
Police did not know how long the vehicle had been left there before officers looked inside it. Heiden said the dog was not injured, so detectives do not believe it was the dog's blood. She could not say Tuesday where in the car the blood was located or quantify how much, only noting that it was enough that someone could have potentially suffered a serious injury.
Heiden did not know Tuesday if the blood had dried or was still fresh.
- Hispanic male
- 35 years old
- 5 feet 7 inches tall
- 155 pounds
- Black hair, hazel eyes
Braden Parker Emerson:
- White male
- 23 years old
- 6 feet 2 inches tall
- 195 pounds
- Brown hair, brown eyes
Levi Joseph Collins:
- White male
- 34 years old
- 5 feet 6 inches tall
- 210 pounds
- Blond hair, brown eyes
By Tuesday afternoon, police had located the owner of the vehicle. Heiden said it was not a stolen car, but could not release any other details about what the owner said happened to his car or if he had any connection to the missing men.
Extra officers were called to the scene to canvass the area along the river and to go to the nearby businesses to look at possible surveillance video, she said.
As of Tuesday, police had not found a victim either in the crime scene area or had anyone with an unexplained injury check in at a local hospital.
All three missing men have long criminal histories, according to Utah state court records.
Collins, who has served time at the Utah State Prison, has convictions for attempted theft by receiving stolen property, drug possession, attempted robbery, and forgery.
Emerson's convictions include robbery and drug possession.
Gallegos has convictions for drug distribution and attempted burglary. Court records show he also faced charges in a drive-by shooting case at one time, but those charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. He also faced a charge of aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury earlier this year. That case was scheduled to go to a jury in April, but then was dismissed at the last minute, according to court records.
Anyone with information about the case can call police at 801-799-3000.
