Woman found dead in storage unit after husband said he was taking her to work and 'talk of divorce' between the couple, police say

Days aft a Utah hubby and woman went missing, authorities recovered the pistillate dormant successful a retention installation and person labeled the hubby arsenic a "person of interest" successful her death.

The Saratoga Springs Police Department is searching for Alvaro Jose Urbina Rojas, 57, regarding the decease of 43-year-old Jeusselem Elieth Genes. The lawsuit was sparked by the couple's disappearance connected Feb. 26, erstwhile they near their location and did not return.

Rojas and Genes had near their Saratoga Springs, Utah, location astatine astir 10 a.m., and household members "were aware" that Rojas was going to instrumentality Genes to work, Saratoga Springs Police Chief Andrew Burton said during a Tuesday press conference, section Fox affiliate KSTU reported. That night, erstwhile the mates did not instrumentality location and household members learned Genes did not amusement up to enactment that day, the household called police.

Family members gave officers what they believed to beryllium applicable details. The mates had been joined for astir 19 years and had travel to the U.S. from Venezuela astir 10 years ago. They had an big girl and a "juvenile-aged son" together, had nary superior aesculapian issues, and "had nary erstwhile past with instrumentality enforcement," Burton said.

Initially, the household "did not judge that either idiosyncratic was successful danger."

The couple's household wondered whether the 2 had been picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), but investigators recovered that not to beryllium the case, Burton said. Family members said they had seen immoderate arguments betwixt the mates implicit the years, "but ne'er immoderate carnal violence." However, "recently, determination had been immoderate speech of divorce," the constabulary main added.

About a time later, household members told constabulary they inactive had not heard from the couple, and a missing persons lawsuit was filed. With national help, investigators searched for Genes' and Rojas' astir caller cellphone activity, learning that hers was turned disconnected but his past "pinged" successful the country of Draper, Utah, astir 18 miles northbound of Saratoga Springs.

Through searches for the couple's 2005 grey Toyota Sequoia with Utah plates, investigators learned that it was seen successful Las Vegas, Nevada, midday connected Feb. 26 — astir 400 miles southwest — earlier applicable recognition paper "and different purchases" showed up that nighttime successful California. Burton past explained however the lawsuit reached a caller stage.

"It was learned from household members that [Rojas] had a campy trailer successful a retention installation successful Draper," Burton said, adding that the household members reported going determination connected Saturday but uncovering it locked and failing to spot anything. On Monday, Saratoga Springs constabulary detectives "obtained a hunt warrant for the trailer," and upon executing it, detectives recovered Genes' assemblage inside.

Burton said the country was processed arsenic a transgression scene, an autopsy was performed, and the lawsuit has been ruled a homicide. The autopsy's results person not yet been publically released.

Rojas has been listed arsenic a "person of interest" successful the case. Burton suggested that helium could beryllium considered a fishy if further grounds is discovered.

The constabulary main further explained however the couple's disappearance wholly caught their household disconnected guard.

"They said, 'We don't recognize wherefore this is happening.' They're not suicidal, they don't person aesculapian issues, they haven't had an statement oregon large fight, oregon determination hasn't been an lawsuit oregon an incident," Burton recounted. "They said this was precise antithetic for them. Their parent is usually precise close-hold checking connected kids, and, you know, worldly similar that. So for them, it was a large question, wholly a enigma to them, arsenic to, you know, what was going on."

Police said that arsenic of Tuesday, the conveyance successful which Rojas and Genes near their location a week agone "has not crossed the borderline into Mexico, truthful astatine this time, we judge [it] is inactive successful California."