UTAH COUNTY, Utah — A 25-year-old man is facing attempted murder and domestic violence in the presence of a child charges after Utah Highway Patrol troopers found a woman beaten on the side of Interstate 15.
Osvaldo Vargas Zarate, 25, was arrested on Tuesday in relation to the July 5 incident. He is being held without bail.
According to court documents, on July 5 at 5:27 p.m., officers were called to respond to a domestic violence incident on I-15 northbound. The caller reported that two people were in a vehicle hitting each other, and the vehicle was leaving its lane.
Witnesses told investigators that at one point, the vehicle pulled over and Zarate could be seen beating the victim on the side of the road.
Troopers arrived at the scene to find that Zarate had left. The victim's face was allegedly covered in blood, had swelling in the cheekbone, and there was blood over the victim's clothes, arms, legs, and hands.
Detectives say during the incident, the 2-year-old daughter of the couple was in the vehicle and was still with the suspect as he fled.
The victim told police that Zarate had previously told her he was going to kill her and made frequent threats of violence.
