Mesa County authorities say they have handed off the case of an 18-year-old Grand Junction woman whose to police in the Salt Lake City area.
The case was transferred after police in West Valley City, Utah, found evidence in a hotel room indicating the teen likely died there, authorities say.
Kelly Myers, 18, went missing in December and her remains were found March 1 in Cactus Park west of Grand Junction, some 300 miles from the room where police say she died. Authorities called her death suspicious after finding her remains but did not elaborate.
The case was handed off to the West Valley City Police Department in Utah on Friday.
“Myers’ family had indications that the 18-year-old planned to travel to Utah at the time she disappeared, and social media accounts placed her at a hotel in West Valley City,” police in Utah said in a news release.
The sheriff’s office first released a statement about Myers on Jan. 19, noting that her family had not heard from her since Dec. 18. The last activity on her Facebook account was Dec. 17.
Investigators received reports that Myers may have been attempting to hitchhike to the Salt Lake City area, where she had friends.
At the time of the Jan. 19 statement about the teen’s disappearance, Myers’ family members said it was unusual behavior for her and expressed their concern.
The sheriff’s office said police in Utah will be responsible for releasing further details in the case.
A coroner’s report on Myers’ cause and manner of death is pending the completion of toxicology reports which could take weeks to be finished, authorities say.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JesseAPaul
