SALT LAKE CITY - A woman was found dead at the Walker Center in Salt Lake City early Friday morning, and police are calling the death suspicious.
Salt Lake City Police Department officials identified the woman as 26-year-old Emily Martinez.
Police said Martinez left a bar in the basement of the Walker Center with a man around 11:30 P.M. Thursday, and they went to the top of the Walker Center parking structure.
Detective Dennis McGowan, Salt Lake City Police Department, said the pair then climbed to the top of the tower using a fire escape ladder.
"They both went up, somehow they got to the top of the structure, and the male began to climb down,” he said.
Police said as the man was climbing down, he realized the woman was no longer with him. When he reached the courtyard below, police said the man noticed the woman lying motionless on the ground.
Police said climbing the outside of a tall building is risky behavior to begin with, but they said the risk is escalated late at night and with the possibility the climbers may have had a few drinks. They said the man who was with Martinez is a person of interest in the investigation.
"You're right, the homicide squad is still in the middle of investigating, they’re still talking to people, witnesses,” McGowan said. “Investigators did talk to the male that was involved, and alcohol may be a factor."
Salt Lake City Police officials said they would like to speak with anyone who knows the people involved or who may have seen them around the building just before midnight. Tipsters can call police at 801-799-3000.
