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Weird Murder in WVC

The Thriller

Well-Known Member
Anyone else following this? This is so bizarre!

https://m.ksl.com/index/story/sid/35538531

Juvenile suspect in police custody after death of 12-year-old girl

WEST VALLEY CITY — West Valley police say a 15-year-old boy killed a 12-year-old neighbor, Kailey Vijil, early Friday and left her body in a horse pasture.

West Valley Police Chief Lee Russo said it appeared that there was no prior relationship between the two, yet the teen somehow was able to convince the young girl to walk outside her house at midnight and go with him.

"I believe a good natured child was fooled and unfortunately made a mistake she paid the ultimate price for," Russo said.

The chief said evidence had been collected that linked the boy to the crime. Detectives were led to the teen based on information given to them by neighbors.

"He was known in the community, that's how we were able to develop these leads," he said.

Yellow police tape surrounded the boy's home, near 5200 West and 3600 South, where a search warrant was served Friday afternoon. His name was not immediately released. That boy went to Kailey's door and said something that convinced her to go with him.

"There was a statement that was made that enticed her to come out (of the house). There was a dialogue in which she agreed to go outside," Russo said. "She did leave with an individual that was unknown to the family around midnight."

What the teen said to lure her outside wasn't immediately known Friday. The chief said Kailey's family had just recently moved to the area.

Neighbors said the boy had been asking other girls in the neighborhood over the past couple of days if they wanted to play with him in the field. Mia Montana, who is 8 years old, said the boy tried to lure her to a fort behind an abandoned house two days ago. She said she declined and told her parents. "It just scared me, and I when I'm scared I'm supposed to go tell my mom," she said. "I was in shock because I know about girls being kidnapped and I just want to stay with my family and be happy."

Stephanie Sala, who lives next door to the teen, said the same teen asked her 5-year-old niece if she wanted to play with him.

"I had said no because he hadn't asked for my 5-year-old son, my 10-year-old nephew or my 12-year-old son to come and play. He just asked us for the 5-year-old little girl to come and play," she said.

Russo could not confirm that information and said his officers had only found one family, Kailey's, that the teen had approached early Friday.

Police did not say how many people were in Kailey's house when the boy came to the door or how many were awake. However, Russo said Kailey's mother knew her daughter was leaving with the boy, but it was unclear if she knew where her daughter was going or why she allowed her to leave.

"This isn't about parenting, this is about a homicide," the chief reminded the media. "This is about a tragedy that happened to a family and to a community."

When her daughter didn't come back, the mother became worried and went looking for her. About 1:30 a.m., Kailey's mother ran into two West Valley police officers at a 7-Eleven, 4807 W. 3500 South, and told them the girl was missing.

Officers started tracking Kailey by pinging her cellphone. They were led to a field near 5200 West and 3600 South just before 3 a.m., about three blocks west of the girl's home. The overgrown horse pasture area is bordered by homes on either side, but is in the middle is a wooded area with grass that is 3 to 4 feet tall.

The officers found evidence of a "crime scene" and the girl's body a short distance away, according to West Valley police spokeswoman Roxanne Vainuku said. Investigators said there appeared to be evidence of a struggle at the scene.

Russo said Kailey suffered some sort of trauma, but there was no evidence of a stab wound or a gunshot wound. Russo could not comment Friday if the girl was sexually assaulted. The Utah State Medical Examiner's Office will determine the exact cause of death.

Some neighbors claimed the boy had just been released from juvenile detention, but Russo said his department had no prior dealings with him.

Neighbors called Kailey's death a horrible tragedy.
 
Sounded exactly like the plot for the hit series Secrets and Lies if you've ever seen it.. except it was the girl who killed the boy and they were both younger.. girl was around 12 boy was around 6.
 
"Police did not say how many people were in Kailey's house when the boy came to the door or how many were awake. However, Russo said Kailey's mother knew her daughter was leaving with the boy, but it was unclear if she knew where her daughter was going or why she allowed her to leave.

"This isn't about parenting, this is about a homicide," the chief reminded the media. "This is about a tragedy that happened to a family and to a community."
This IS about parenting. It's a tragedy but the mom is 100% responsible. You allow your 12 yr-old to leave with a boy at MIDNIGHT? The mom wasn't expecting a murder, but what did she expect...an innocent walk in the moonlight? Maybe the mom thought it would be a romantic way for the girl to lose her virginity. I mean, really, what else can you expect from a 15 yr old boy wanting a girl to go out with him at midnight?

If my wife or I were the parent, there is no way in HELL our daughter would go out. And if it were some "emergency" story (whatever the case was in this instance), I'd be accompanying the boy. I'd also likely call a few other parents and maybe even the police if my kids had been approached like the case of the boy asking another parent to let the 5-yr old daughter come out and play.
 
Where were the parents of the 15 year old?

It seems like all he did every day all day was try to lure little girls out somewhere. Were they unaware that their son was out at midnight?

This is all about bad parenting.

Bad parenting from the boy.
Bad parenting from the victim.
Bad parenting all around the neighborhood for not reporting this earlier.

This is real bizarre, even for WVC.
 
What Stifle said. Who let's their 12 year old girl leave the house at midnight with a 15 year old boy? Who let's a 12 year old play with a 15 year old?
 
What Stifle said. Who let's their 12 year old girl leave the house at midnight with a 15 year old boy? Who let's a 12 year old play with a 15 year old?

I can see it if you know the people. In my neighborhood growing up we had a wide range of ages. We would play kick the can or stuff like that in the neighborhood and have kid from age 9 or so to 17 playing. And in the summer, since our neighborhood was reasonably self-contained (it was a loop street, so no through traffic) we could play until midnight or later. So it was not weird at all for our 16 year old female neighbor to come ask me at 13 if I was coming out to play "night games" with the group. Same when I was 15 or so and asking the same of a 13 year old girl. I could see that being viewed as reasonable in different circumstances.

But in this case they admit they didn't know the kid. That just is creepy beyond creepy really.
 
Here's the scene layout: The field - upper left; 15 year old's house - middle; Girl's house - lower right:

130652.jpg



That's a decent walk from the girl's house to the field. Probably about a half mile, depending on the route they took to the field. Now I'm more curious what the guy actually said to lure the girl because it read like they lived closer than that to me on first glance this morning.
 
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I can see it if you know the people. In my neighborhood growing up we had a wide range of ages. We would play kick the can or stuff like that in the neighborhood and have kid from age 9 or so to 17 playing. And in the summer, since our neighborhood was reasonably self-contained (it was a loop street, so no through traffic) we could play until midnight or later. So it was not weird at all for our 16 year old female neighbor to come ask me at 13 if I was coming out to play "night games" with the group. Same when I was 15 or so and asking the same of a 13 year old girl. I could see that being viewed as reasonable in different circumstances.

But in this case they admit they didn't know the kid. That just is creepy beyond creepy really.
This 1000%. That describes the neighborhood I grew up in to a t. No way in hell my daughter leaves with that boy alone at midnight.
 
Like others have said, the parenting here is atrocious. That said, in some ways it's a blessing they caught this kid now after just one murder (I assume he's killed no one else) because he sounds exactly like a serial killer early in his "career," Gary Ridgeway, aka The Green River Strangler, to be exact.
 
Here's the scene layout: The field - upper left; 15 year old's house - middle; Girl's house - lower right:

130652.jpg



That's a decent walk from the girl's house to the field. Probably about a half mile, depending on the route they took to the field. Now I'm more curious what the guy actually said to lure the girl because it read like they lived closer than that to me on first glance this morning.

May be the boy is cool and good looking?
 
No more info on this?

Was the perp's mom domineering? He a bed wetter? Was he known to have liked starting fires? Killing animals?
 
No more info on this?

Was the perp's mom domineering? He a bed wetter? Was he known to have liked starting fires? Killing animals?

The fantastic Utah media has moved onto bigger and better things apparently...

I am curious about this story too but haven't heard anything new for the past few days.
 
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