SPRINGVILLE, Utah — Provo Police said the body of a Provo woman who disappeared three years ago has been found in Hobble Creek Canyon.
Elizabeth Salgado disappeared in April 2015. She was last seen leaving a class at the Nomen Global Language Center in Provo. Salgado, originally of Chiapas, Mexico, had been living in Provo for three weeks before she disappeared somewhere along the 18-block walk to her apartment from the language center.
Utah County Sheriff Jim Tracy, Provo Police Chief Ferguson and FBI officials are expected to speak at a news conference at 10 a.m. Thursday. Watch Fox 13, fox13now.com and the Fox 13 News Facebook page for live coverage.
More details from a case summary Provo Police released earlier this year:
Who is Elizabeth Salgado?
Elizabeth is 26 year old student who came to the United States to learn English. She worked as a waitress and was an active member of her church. She had recently completed a church mission, just a few months prior to her disappearance. Elizabeth is approximately 5’5” tall, 120 lbs, long black hair, and brown eyes.
What are the basic facts of the case?
Elizabeth Salgado was last seen on Thursday, April 16th, at 1:30 PM, leaving the Nomen Global School at 384 West Center Street in Provo. Since that time she has not been back to her apartment, shown up for work, or contacted any family members.
What do we know about her? What kind of person was she? What were her interests, her habits, etc.?
She was somewhat reserved in face to face situations, however she was active on social media. While here in Provo her habits consisted of attending school, church, and exercising alone. We know she studied regularly and had recently started a new job. She maintained contact with her family in Mexico but didn’t have any close associations here in the United States. Some of her classmates invited her to go to dances and other social activities, however she declined all invitations.
What was she doing in Utah? How long had she been in Provo?
She lived in Provo for 3 weeks and was attending school to learn English.
What were the circumstances of her disappearance?
She left class at 1:30 PM and sent a text to her sister in Mexico that she was on her way home. She left the school walking northbound on 400 west, which was her usual route walking home. The last witnesses, some classmates, reported seeing her at 100 N 400 W. Elizabeth has not been seen or heard from since. Since this time she has not contacted her family, and there has been no activity on her cell phone, bank accounts, social media, or email.
As far as you have been able to ascertain, what were Elizabeth’s movements on the day she disappeared?
We know she attended school that day until 1:30 PM and left there on foot. She had plans to go WalMart later that evening with her Uncle at 5:30 PM
As far as we know, who was the last person to see or hear from Elizabeth?
The last ones to see her, were three classmates who saw her approximately a block away from the school walking toward her apartment. The last one to hear from Elizabeth was her sister, who received a text from Elizabeth telling her she was on her way home.
Who reported her missing, and when?
Elizabeth’s Uncle Rosemberg Salgado, who lives in California, reported her missing the next day, Friday, April 17th, at 2:09 PM.
When a young woman is reported missing like this, what are the first things law enforcement does?
In this case patrol officers checked her apartment, her work, and school. They also attempted to ping her cell phone to get a location however it was already turned off at this point. The officer then entered Elizabeth in the National Crime Information Center database as a missing person. When these efforts proved unsuccessful he called detectives who then took over the case.
Are there any typical scenarios? Where do you begin to look when a young woman goes missing? How do these cases typically resolve themselves?
In the last year we have received 209 missing person reports. The vast majority of these cases resolve themselves when the missing person returns. In most cases, when we conduct an investigation there is some indication as to what most likely occurred. This case is unique in that there are no indicators as to what occurred.
On the face of it, was there anything atypical about this case? Any immediate red flags?
The case was concerning from the outset because Elizabeth mysteriously stopped communicating with her family, stopped using social media, and had no activity on her cell phone, email, and bank accounts. All of these behaviors were very atypical for Elizabeth.
