Police are investigating the death of a 17-year-old Taylorsville boy whose body was found in Kearns two weeks after he was last seen alive.
Julian Garcia was found in a field near 5600 West and 6100 South about 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
“Because he's a 17-year-old who's deceased for no apparent reason, we start by investigating it as a homicide,” said Sgt. Melody Gray of the Unified Police Department.
There was “nothing obvious” indicating how Garcia died, police said. An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.
The teenager was last seen alive by friends on Feb. 9 in the area where his body was found. His family reported him missing on Feb. 10.
“And after two weeks, there was nothing,” Gray said, “which is odd for a runaway.”
So police returned to the area where Garcia was last seen and located his body in the field, “not far off the road,” she said. “We’re not sure why he wasn’t seen earlier — whether he was covered with snow or what.”
