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Young victim in West Valley City homicide identified; mom confessed murder to neighbor, police say

Young victim in West Valley City homicide identified; mom confessed murder to neighbor, police say
Posted at 7:08 AM, Dec 31, 2019
and last updated 2019-12-31 19:46:47-05

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — Police have released the name of a young girl who was killed in West Valley City, allegedly at the hands of her mother.


The victim was identified as 4-year-old Lainey Vos.


According to West Valley City Police, 29-year-old Nicole Lester confessed to killing the girl to a neighbor. The neighbor then called police.


When officers arrived, they found Lester wearing blood-stained clothes in front of her home, a statement of probable cause said.


Police officers entered the home and found a young girl deceased with "many sharp edged wounds" to her body," the statement said.


Lester faces a charge of aggravated murder in connection with the girl's death.


West Valley City Police spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku said a 6-year-old boy was asleep in a bedroom at the time of the alleged murder.


The 6-year-old boy is now with his grandmother. The grandmother owns the home, Vainuku said, but she was not home at the time.