WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — West Valley City police are looking at two persons of interest in the suspicious death of 18-year-old Kelly Mae Myers.
Eduardo Nasario De La Cruz, 30, and Raymond Cordova, 47, were taken into custody in Colorado on unrelated charges to the case.
According to a newly released search warrant affidavit, Myers' body was stuffed in a suitcase and transported from West Valley City to Colorado, where both men left her at a park, 22 miles south of Grand Junction.
The documents state an informant told police about the location.
“At some point, she died in that hotel room," said Detective Mike Christenson of West Valley City Police.
Myers’ family indicated the teen planned to travel to Utah for a party in the Salt Lake valley.
On Dec. 18, Cordova had picked Myers up at her father's home, according to the documents, and drove to the Country Inn and Suites in West Valley City, where De La Cruz had rented a room.
As part of the investigation into Myers’ disappearance, the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado reviewed the teen’s social media accounts. While the timeline is not entirely clear, police believe Myers died in the room shortly after arriving.
“The last known contact that she had had on social media was on December 19," Christenson said.
Police conducted an interview with a hotel housekeeper in February. They were told that after De La Cruz checked out, staff noticed "a very strong and pungent smell coming from their room."
“This was a human being. This was my daughter," said Kim Lee, Myers' mother.
Until their arrest, Lee said she had never heard of De La Cruz or Cordova.
“This wasn’t just a piece of trash that you stuffed, and I hate saying that word, but you put in a suitcase," Lee said. "Shame on you. Shame on you for taking that away from us.”
According to the affidavit, De La Cruz's name came up during a wiretap investigation that was being conducted out of Grand Junction.
The documents state he was also the suspect in a drive-by shooting that occurred in Utah in February. It was during that investigation that police discovered the car they believe was used to transport Myers' body. The car was found at a home in Kearns.
Anyone with information related to this case is asked to call West Valley City police at 801-840-4000.
