Police identify teen found dead in home; search for person of interest continues

SALT LAKE CITY — A teen whose body was found during a welfare check Monday was on the phone with her mother when she was “brutally attacked” inside her home, police said Tuesday.

Baleigh Bagshaw, 15, was found dead at a home located at 1628 W. 500 North about 3 p.m. Monday, Salt Lake Police Sgt. Brandon Shearer said. She called her mother after she arrived home from school, which Shearer said she typically did, when the attack began.

The phone then went dead.

The mother called her neighbor to have them check on Bagshaw and the neighbor also called police. Officers found the teen’s body when they searched the home, Shearer said.

He added it was unclear if the attacker was waiting for Bagshaw at the home or if the attacker entered the home after Bagshaw came home from school. A cause of death was not provided, and Shearer said he was unaware if there were any prior threats against the teen.

Police dogs searched the neighborhood for evidence late Monday. Officers were still collecting evidence Tuesday morning.

“It was a very violent attack, so there’s quite a bit of evidence and it’s widely spread throughout the home and throughout the area,” Shearer said.

Shaun French, 24, was identified as a person of interest in the case. A warrant for French's arrest for unrelated charges was issued Tuesday, police said.

The warrant, police said, was for unlawful sexual acts with a minor in relation to previous contact with Bagshaw.

Court records show French listed the home as his address in 2017.

Shearer said French has family in Evanston, Wyoming, and could be headed that direction, but could also be headed toward Denver, Colorado, or Cleveland, Ohio, where he also has ties.

French may be driving a camouflage-colored 1991 Daihatsu Rocky with Wyoming license plate 19-13974, according to police. Shearer said French is considered to be armed and dangerous, but that he isn't targeting the general public. However, people should not approach him if they see him.

“If we can find the vehicle, we believe he’s probably in the vehicle or near it,” Shearer said.

Anyone with information about French’s whereabouts is encouraged to call police at 801-799-3000.

Bagshaw attended West High School, where she was involved in theater. The school district had crisis counselors on hand Tuesday for any students who needed support.

The neighborhood she lived in was also somber.

"She was a real sweet little girl," said Paul Bouck, who lives nearby to the home where Bagshaw was found dead in. "It's terrible. It's a terrible thing. I can't even imagine what her folks are going through."

The teen also worked at a Leatherby's Family Creamery for a little more than a year, said Gwendolyn Robinson, a manager at the restaurant.

Bagshaw was even scheduled to work Tuesday evening, Robinson said.

"We're trying to keep our cool, trying to keep the tears down because we don't want to (upset) the customers. It's hard," she said, pushing back tears. "She comes in (after school) and she's always walking through that door. I'm going to be expecting her tonight and she's not going to show up."

Robinson described Bagshaw as an exemplary employee who was nice to her coworkers and to customers. She also had a great sense of humor.

"She had a bubbly personality, she liked color, she'd always do her hair with colors," Robinson said. "She was a really, really nice gal."

Some who knew Bagshaw or interacted with her in the past took to social media to mourn her death. One person described her as shy, but polite.

"Your smile was contagious and even if you didn't know me, you were so nice to me," the person wrote on Facebook.

Contributing: Peter Samore, KSL Newsradio; Jed Boal and Alex Cabrero, KSL TV

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Editor's note: The story initially had the name of the victim incorrectly spelled, but it has since been updated.

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