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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Authorities on Wednesday arrested a suspect in connection with the killing of a 23-year-old Taylorsville woman whose body was found in a pile of burning rubbish.
Sally Ann Krivanek, 28, Salt Lake City, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder after a lengthy interview with sheriff's detectives Tuesday night.
The victim, Kellie Nelson, was last seen alive by her boyfriend early Sunday morning as she left for work. Sheriff Aaron Kennard said the suspect and the boyfriend used to be romantically involved, but he wouldn't say what Krivanek's motive might be.
Sheriff's investigators issued a public plea on Tuesday, asking an anonymous caller who had information about the crime to get back in touch with them. It turns out that anonymous caller was Krivanek, Kennard said.
Krivanek, along with several other callers, did get back in touch with the sheriff's office, and those leads helped investigators make the arrest, Kennard said.
"The reason behind why she'd make the calls, you can speculate as much as I. We have our own theories, and we will share our theories with the district attorney," Kennard said. "We are still working to tie up some of these loose ends."
Investigators haven't ruled out the possibility that more people were involved in the crime, he said. Krivanek had injuries that indicated she'd been involved in a struggle.
Krivanek has no criminal record, Kennard said. She is the mother of two small children, and is apparently unemployed, he said.
The sheriff remained frugal with details about the crime itself.
Kennard said he thinks the victim was confronted in her condominium parking lot as she left for work around 5:30 a.m. Sunday. There was some sort of confrontation, and the victim was taken away and held against her will for several hours.
The exact cause of death, and where Nelson was killed, still isn't clear, Kennard said. Investigators were still awaiting the results of an autopsy.
Nelson's body was found by firefighters Sunday night under Interstate 80 near 9000 West after a passing driver reported seeing a fire. Some sort of accelerant, possibly gasoline, had been used to start the fire, investigators say.
Nelson's car, a maroon 1991 Nissan Sentra, was found in an apartment complex frequently visited by police a mile or so from the complex she lived in.
The victim has no criminal record, and detectives continued to conduct interviews with her friends and acquaintances Wednesday afternoon, Kennard said.
(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
