Utah Girl, 12, Found Dead In Overgrown Pasture On Farm In West Valley City

A Utah girl, 12, was found dead in an overgrown horse pasture in West Valley City. Authorities made the discovery Thursday night.

Fox 13 in Salt Lake City reports that girl’s parents alerted police officers at a West Valley City 7-Eleven that their daughter was missing. Not long after, officers found the girl dead on a farm less than a mile from the family’s home. The girl’s cell phone helped police track where her body was located. The phone wasn’t on the 12-year-old Utah girl when she was found dead, however.

WIBQ News reports that it was about 1:30 a.m. when the parents let police know their daughter had been missing since midnight. The property where the girl’s body was located was in a field with three-to-four-foot-high tall grass and had shrubs and trees behind a row of homes.

The girl hasn’t been identified at this point. So far, investigators are treating the case as a homicide. They’re also trying to learn how she died. There’s evidence of trauma, and other indicators suggest she was murdered. No suspects have been reported as of yet. West Valley City authorities want to speak with anyone who might have information in this case.

KSL-TV reports that the girl’s body was located around 3 a.m. West Valley City Police Chief Lee Russo said the last time the parents had contact with their daughter was around midnight. The 12-year-old girl willingly left her home and was dressed at the time, he says. When the Utah girl was found dead, she was discovered just four blocks from her home in the pasture.

West Valley City is a suburb west of Salt Lake City.

The investigation is still in its early stages, so police haven’t encountered any real leads or suspects in the case.

This has been a week of devastating news for children. As the Inquisitr reported on earlier this week, a young boy in Idaho went missing while camping with his family. The child’s parents believe that the boy is still alive. They think that he was abducted and are hopeful for his return. The search for 2-year-old DeOrr Kunz, Jr., turned up nothing since he disappeared last Friday. Searchers are still focused on the area near Timber Creek Road by Leadore, Idaho — where the family camped. KTVB reports that searchers and dogs are currently at Stone Reservoir looking for the boy. The child’s parents remain in the area and plan to do so until their son is found.

[Image via WVC Police/Twitter]