- Reina Chavez-Sandobal, 41, was arrested and accused of dumping the body of her deceased husband.
- The victim suffered blunt force trauma to his head.
- Chavez-Sandobal's boyfriend, who is suspected of beating her husband, was still at large as of Thursday.
PARK CITY — One person has been arrested in connection with the discovery of a body in a rural area of Summit County a week ago.
Reina Chavez-Sandobal, 41, was booked into the Summit County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of abuse or desecration of a dead body and obstruction of justice. Police say Chavez-Sandobal is the wife of the victim and, along with her boyfriend, participated in killing and dumping her husband's body. Deputies were still looking for the boyfriend as of Thursday.
About 1:40 p.m. on March 26, the Summit County Sheriff's Office responded "to a rural area near the intersection of Browns Canyon Road and High View Road, on reports of human remains that were covered in blood."
Deputies found a deceased male with "a traumatic wound to the forehead." An autopsy the next day "showed signs of blunt force trauma to the victim's skull and brain," according to a police booking affidavit. The name of the victim has not yet been released.
Investigators say it appeared that the victim "had been dragged to the location from a roadway and abandoned," the affidavit says. Detectives were able to find video from a nearby security camera that showed a vehicle arriving about 2:20 a.m. on that day, and "an unknown number of individuals removed the deceased male from the vehicle and left his remains in the area before fleeing."
After identifying the victim, investigators contacted his relatives in North Carolina.
"While speaking with family members, investigators were advised that the victim's wife, who lives in Utah, had contacted them and advised them the victim was fine and they should not be worried about his welfare. As investigators were speaking with family members, the family members informed the victim's wife that they were currently speaking with law enforcement who had advised them of the victim's passing. It was then advised the victim's wife quickly hung up the phone," the affidavit states.
The wife, Chavez-Sandobal, was located in Midvale. She claimed that on March 25, her husband "had become physically abusive with her and had attempted to sexually assault her." She then contacted a man who police described as "her boyfriend" who then went to her home and "assaulted the victim as he slept," according to the affidavit.
Chavez-Sandobal says she and the boyfriend then loaded her husband's body into a car and drove him to the area where his remains were found, the affidavit alleges. "Ms. Chavez-Sandobal then described where a hammer, which is believed to be the murder weapon, had been concealed within her residence."
The hammer and a blanket covered with the victim's blood were both recovered by investigators.
The whereabouts of the boyfriend were unknown as of Thursday. Police say Chavez-Sandobal is not a U.S. citizen.
