Police find severed tongue, still looking for victim

WEST VALLEY CITY — West Valley City police believe a man had his tongue severed during an altercation last month at an apartment complex.

But as of Monday, investigators have not been able to find a victim.

On Sept. 5, about 8:20 p.m. police responded to the area of 1800 West and 3900 South on a report of a fight. One witness told officers "that he observed five males holding down another male and beating him with rocks, hitting him, and kicking him," according to court documents.

The witness then pointed to a tongue lying on some nearby rocks and said it was the victim's.

Based on witness accounts, police believe the victim is a Hispanic man in his early 20s with short black hair, is approximately 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-10 and 150 pounds, and "is missing a significant portion of his tongue. The victim fled prior to police arrival and has not been located or identified," said police spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku.

According to a search warrant affidavit, "there was blood on the asphalt nearby the tongue where the assault had been occurring, and several large rocks were on the sidewalk and asphalt. (A witness) said that these were the rocks being used to assault the victim.

Police "called surrounding hospitals in the area, none of whom reported treating any patient for a severed tongue," the affidavit continued. "The identity of the victim is still unknown, and his health condition is unknown."

Multiple witnesses told police that they saw the men run to a red car after the attack and drive away. One man was holding a knife and a second had a "bloody head," according to the affidavit.

As of Monday, no arrests had been made. Anyone with information on the case can call police at 801-840-4000.

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