Family offers $100,000 reward to solve murder of woman found near Saltair

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MAGNA — The family of a woman found murdered near the Saltair is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to a conviction.

Thursday marks four years since Akosita Kaufusi's body was found just off the Frontage Road near Saltair.

"We are still grieving," said Lita Kaufusi-Ofa, Akosita Kaufusi's aunt. "We want answers; we want closures."

Unified police are still working on Kaufusi's case. They've connected her murder to another incident, a shooting at a K&K African Market, located at 996 S. Redwood Road, on Aug. 9, 2020, a few days before Akosita was murdered.

Police suspect Akosita was killed around Aug. 14, 2020, at the location where her body was found two weeks later, Aug. 29.

"Based on the physical evidence, what we believe is that she was killed at that location, half a mile east of Saltair," said Unified police detective Ken Hansen.

A suspect has yet to be named or arrested, to the frustration of Kaufusi's family.

"We feel like it's not a priority on the list, but we hope things will change," Kaufusi-Ofa said.

"It's really important that we don't just leave things behind," Hansen added. "We have this unresolved homicide. We believe other people know about it. We don't know why they're not talking."

In addition to the $5,000 reward offered by Unified police for information that leads to an arrest, Akosita's family is offering $100,000 to the person who leads them to her killer.

Akosita Kaufusi who was found killed near the Saltair on Aug. 29, 2020. (Photo: Lita Kaufusi-Ofa)

"You can't put a price tag on a life, and we have to because we want answers," Kaufusi-Ofa said. "Her family is offering a $100,000 reward for the arrest, conviction of this person or persons that has ruined our family."

Akosita's father is Tongan, and her mother is part of the Ute tribe. Her family has become strong advocates of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement, which seeks to raise awareness about the high rates of violence toward Native American women in her honor.

"The biggest thing is Akosita's life mattered. It mattered to her family, her village in Tonga and her tribe," Kaufusi-Ofa said.

If you have information on Akosita's case, you can call Unified police at 801-743-7000.