Identified! UT - Body in Storage Unit, Ogden, 5 Sept 2019 - Alice Ann Valdez

[Dave F.]

The deceased was born March 23, 1978 in Ogden.
Alice Valdez (Ann), 41 - Coeur D Alene, ID Has Court or Arrest Records at MyLife.com™

 

[beatrixpotter]

The deceased was born March 23, 1970 in Ogden.
Alice Valdez (Ann), 41 - Coeur D Alene, ID Has Court or Arrest Records at MyLife.com™

She was born in 1970 and is only 41? How does that add up?

 

[Dave F.]

She was born in 1970 and is only 41? How does that add up?

Sorry! Typo,,,,I've corrected it to 1978.

 

[tarabull]

New details revealed about body found in Utah storage unit
September 25, 2019

 

[Gardener1850]

New details revealed about body found in Utah storage unit
September 25, 2019

From the link:
The Standard-Examiner reports a recently unsealed search warrant shows the body of 41-year-old Alice Ann Valdez was found wrapped in "cloth, rope or twine, wire, plastic, and/or other materials."

[...]

Court records show Valdez had previously pleaded guilty to several drug and trespassing crimes in Utah.

 

[Lewie]

It’s interesting that the article says it’s being treated as an unattended death. Could that be an OD coverup maybe?

 

[Dave F.]

A physician or medical examiner certifies every Utah certificate of death. If a person was under the care of a physician (in a broad sense of "under the care of") it is an attended death. If the person's death does not fit that description of circumstances, it would obviously be "an unattended death". The medical examiner's office doesn't define it with that exact term, however. They break unattended deaths into Designated Representative cases and Inquiry cases. Ms. Valdez' case would be an Inquiry. IMO
Designated Representative and Inquiry Cases | Office of the Medical Examiner
Attended Death Defined | Office of the Medical Examiner

 

[Lewie]

Great info Dave! I’ve always thought of an unattended death as one where there were simply no witnesses. But a quick google indicates there are oodles of (somewhat) different definitions.

 

[Laughing]

Yes! Someone had to have rented it and be liable for paying for it. That would be on file.

But, couldn't a person with similar appearance (and maybe a ball cap & other dirtied up moving-day clothes) could have rented it using the deceased person's ID!

JMHO YMMV

 

[Dave F.]

The company that operates the storage facility encourages online registration and internet payment. They bill via email. The gates are locked during off-business hours. When a unit is rented, they merely notify by email which unit is ready, and the renter provides a padlock.

On the other hand, the articles about the search warrant cite that the storage unit had a lot of material in it, and there was material covering the body. Those items may hold some indications of the identity of the renter. IMO

STOCK-N-LOCK SELF STORAGE: Self Storage Facilities in Utah and Idaho

 

[scruffydog]

This case sure does not seem hard to solve. They know who the deceased is, and they obviously know who the renter was. I know that where I live, you have to show your ID when renting a storage locker.