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FARMINGTON — A man who police say suffers from "manic episodes and erratic behaviors" and has exhibited a pattern of "extreme violence" has been arrested and accused of abusing two women and killing or torturing numerous animals that belonged to them.
Caden Michael Biesinger, 20, was booked into the Davis County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of rape, two counts of aggravated assault, eight counts of torture of a companion animal, three counts of assault causing substantial injury, assault and harassment.
The investigation by Farmington police started in July after one of the women contacted police and that led to the discovery of two other alleged victims, according to a police booking affidavit.
One woman told police that Biesinger killed four of her cats during a two month period in 2019, the affidavit states. At least two of the animals were thrown against a wall or concrete on the ground and a third was beaten with a mallet, according to police.
She also had a dog that Biesinger tortured by duct-taping all four paws together and choking it "as hard as he could," the affidavit alleges.
The woman also told police that she suffered "severe physical abuse by Caden" and "talked about numerous times where he would be physically rough with her," according to the affidavit. Some of those incidents included punches to the face and taking a decorative Samurai sword out of its sheath, "swinging it at her and lunging at her with it, as if trying to stab her."
A second woman told police Biesinger also killed one of her kittens by slamming its head against a rock, the affidavit states, and tortured a second cat with various acts such as "waterboarding him during baths," "slamming his head into the floor" and "locking him in a plastic box with cold water for hours."
The woman was also physically and sexually abused by Biesinger, police wrote in the affidavit, including when she told him she wanted to end their relationship. He then allegedly "kicked her in the stomach, punched her in the head about eight times, and then kicked her in the chest."
A third woman told police about how Biesinger used a hatchet to decapitate a cat and then laughed as he played with the severed head, the affidavit states.
Several people whom police talked to stated that Caden struggles with mental health issues, frequently suffers from manic episodes and has often threatened suicide.
Suicide prevention resources
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call the suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-TALK.
Crisis Hotlines
- Utah County Crisis Line: 801-691-5433
- Salt Lake County/UNI Crisis Line: 801-587-3000
- Wasatch Mental Health Crisis Line: 801-373-7393
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
- Trevor Project Hotline for LGBTQ teens: 1-866-488-7386
Online resources
- NAMI Utah: namiut.org
- Utah Chapter-American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: afsputah.com
- Suicide Prevention Lifeline: www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
- Safe UT Crisis Text and Tip Line: https://safeut.med.utah.edu
Domestic violence resources
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition: Utah's confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
- Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
