Tragedy struck in rural Utah as the life of 21-year-old Alexia "Alex" Franco was cut short in a senseless act of violence. Franco's body was discovered in a remote desert, miles away from where he was last seen entering a Jeep on Sunday. The Taylorsville Police Department revealed that Franco had died from a gunshot wound.
Authorities have charged two teenagers in connection with Franco's abduction and murder. The suspects, aged 15 and 17, were taken into custody and are facing multiple felony homicide charges. Their names have not been disclosed by the police.
Following days of intense investigation, detectives located Franco's body in a desolate area near Lehi. The discovery came after a search for the missing young man and the white 2000s Jeep Liberty linked to his disappearance. The community is reeling from this tragic loss and seeking justice for Alex Franco.
Police were able to locate the Jeep with the assistance of the public following the discovery of Franco's body, which shifted their investigation from a possible abduction to a homicide. The vehicle was found in Salt Lake County, where Franco's girlfriend, Alyssa Henry, informed KUTV that "friends of friends" had picked him up on Sunday afternoon with the intention of driving the couple to a park. Surveillance footage captured a white 2000s Jeep Liberty parked outside Henry's home in Taylorsville, leading police to ask the community for tips on its whereabouts.
"He didn't do anything," Henry recounted to KUTV. "All of them looked at me and then drove away, and I started chasing the car. I got to the end of the street before someone found me and called the police."
Henry expressed immediate concern over the apparent gunshot and the hasty departure of the Jeep, prompting her to track Franco's cell phone after the vehicle left, as reported by KUTV.
"I was tracking it until it suddenly stopped at the end of the street," Henry stated.
