SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — Court documents are revealing text messages allegedly sent by the two people arrested for allegedly dumping a body in Summit County.
On March 26, Summit County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the area near the intersection of Browns Canyon Road and High View Road after receiving reports of human remains that were found covered in blood.
The victim was later identified as Juan Manuel Sanchez.
Reina Chavez Sandobal, 41, the wife of the victim, was first arrested for abuse, desecration of a dead human body, and obstruction of justice. Francisco Alejandro Santos-Morales was arrested on April 3, and faces charges of abuse of a dead body and obstruction of justice.
Court documents obtained by FOX 13 News show detectives laying out a timeline of the death through internet history and text messages sent between Sandobal and Santos-Morales.
Timeline according to investigators:
- 3/25:
- (9:54 a.m.)- Chavez-Sandobal visted a web page for Tylenol PM Extra Strength
- (6:55 p.m.)- Santos-Morales messages Sandobal, "Hey love. What time are you going to send the taxi?"
- (7:21 p.m.)- Santos-Morales sends the message, "Do you think he will drink it?"
- (7:30 p.m.)- Sandobal responds, "He is already drinking it."
- Santos Morales, "Are you sure. You're not going to lie to me. You're not being over confident are you." He continued the messages, "If not I'll have to kill you both."
- (7:40 p.m.)- Sandobal responds, "Ha ha ha ha you would be able to."
- (7:42 p.m.)- Sandobal sends the message, "You're going to see this is going to be very quick."
- (7:50 p.m.)- Santos-Morales messages, "Realize I'm risking everything." Sandobal responds, "Yes I know."
- (8:09 p.m.)- Santos-Morales asks, "Do you know a place in the mountains that is kind of far away?"
- Sandobal responded, "No I don't know here but we can search for one in Google."
- (8:14 p.m.)- Sandobal asks, "River or mountain" and "Lake or mountain."
- Santos-Morales responds, "Mountain is better."
- (8:20 p.m.)- Sandobal messages Santos-Morales, "My husband is you," and "This s—t is nothing."
- (8:21 p.m.)- Santos-Morales responds, "He was your husband." Sandobal responds, "Yes, he was but not anymore."
- (8:49 p.m.)- Santos-Morales asks Sandobal, "Where is he right now." That message was answered by Sandobal, "In the living room."
- Santos-Morales asked, "Awake?" Which prompted at, "Yes," and "He just finished the juice," from Sandobal.
- Santos-Morales, "Are you sure."
- Sandobal, "yes."
- Santos-Morales, "You're not going to blame this on me are you?"
- (9:12 p.m.)- Sandobal responded, "You should know that I already feel free without having to worry about that dog. I feel at peace."
- Santos-Morales replies, "Okay I'm doing this all for you."
- (9:58 p.m.)- Santos-Morales asks Sandobal, "If he asleep yet?"
- Sandobal allegedly responds, "That guy isn't getting up until 4."
- Santos-Morales, "Show me how he is. Send a quick photo."
- Digital forensics shows Sandobal senidng Santos-Morales an image file
- (10:21 p.m.)- Sandobal, "He is already snoring," along with two audio files.
- (11:05 p.m.)- Santos-Morales, "The taxi just got here. I'm on my way."
- (11:16 p.m.)- Sandobal, "I want to get this done already."
- (11:21 p.m.) Santos-Morales, "I'm here outside."
- 3/26
- Beginning at 1:04 a.m., security cameras allegedly capture Sandobal and Santos-Morales carrying what appears to be the victim's body into a car
- (2:22 a.m.)- Security camera video from a building near the intersection of Browns Canyon Road and High View Road shows a vehicle stopping for 7 minutes and people appearing to remove a body from the car
- (2:53 a.m.)- Sandobal is pulled over for a minor traffic violation. At this time, she is alone in the vehicle.
- (2:00 p.m.)- Deputies find the victim's body
The Utah Office of the Medical Examiner would investigate the death and determine that Mr. Sandchez died of blunt force trauma to the skull and brain.
According to investigators, on April 1, Sandobal would contact Mr. Sanchez's family members to inform them that Mr. Sanchez was fine and that they shouldn't be concerned about him. When the family members told Sandobal that they already knew from detectives that the victim was dead, Sandobal allegedly hung up the phone.
When police interviewed Sandobal, she claimed that on the night of March 25, Santos-Morales came to her and her husband's home and struck the victim while he was asleep. Following this, Sandobal claimed that Santos-Morales would take the body and dump it.
Sandobal also claimed that Santos-Morales had cleaned a hammer he used in the attack in the bathtub before hiding it in a laundry basket. Police were able to find both the hammer and a blanket that was covered in blood.
On April 3, following his arrest, Santos-Morales would tell police that it was Sandobal who struck the victim but admitted to cleaning the hammer and helping hide the body.
Three days later, Sandobal would once again be interviewed by investigators who learned from her that she had purchased Tylenol to but them in a carton of juice that the victim drank. According to Sandobal, her and Santos-Morales had been planning the murder for around a week.
Reina Chavez Sandobal and Francisco Alejandro Santos-Morales are scheduled to appear in court on Monday (4/13).
