UPDATE: Wife and boyfriend taken into custody after husband found beaten to death near Browns Canyon Road

One of the defendants, Francisco Morales, 31, was charged in connection with a Summit County homicide. Photo: Summit County Sheriff’s Office

4/3/2026 10:12 a.m. — SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — Francisco Alejandro Santos-Morales, a 31-year-old male previously identified as a suspect, has been taken into custody in the Davis County area by the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, according to a Thursday morning update from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.

Santos-Morales has been booked on felony charges of desecration of a dead body and obstruction of justice.

SCSO thanked its Investigations Division, the U.S. Marshals Service, as well as law enforcement partners in Layton City and the Davis County area, for their assistance.

This remains an active and ongoing investigation.

4/2/2026 7:32 p.m. — SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — A body discovered along a rural Summit County road last week has led to a homicide investigation, one arrest, and an active search for a second suspect considered dangerous.

According to court records filed in connection with the case, On March 26, 2026, deputies were called to the intersection of Browns Canyon Road and High View Road after reports of human remains. An autopsy confirmed the cause of death was blunt force trauma. Security camera footage showed a vehicle arriving at the scene around 2:22 a.m., with individuals removing the body from the vehicle and leaving it before fleeing.

The investigation quickly led detectives to the victim’s wife, Reina Chavez Sandobal, 41, of Midvale. According to the probable cause affidavit, During a lengthy interview, Sandobal told investigators the victim had been physically abusive and had attempted to sexually assault her. She said she called her boyfriend, Francisco Morales, who “responded to her residence and assaulted the victim as he slept.” She said she checked for a pulse and found none, and that she and Morales then drove the body to the location where it was discovered.

The affidavit also states that Sandobal directed investigators to a blood-soaked blanket and a hammer she described as the murder weapon, both of which were recovered at her apartment. She was arrested April 1 and booked into Summit County Jail on felony charges of desecration of a dead human body and obstruction of justice.

Morales, 31, remains at large and is considered dangerous. He was last known to be driving a maroon 2009 Honda Civic with Utah plate “5ETHO.” Anyone with information is asked to call the Summit County Sheriff’s Office at 435-615-3601.

Reina Chavez Sandobal and Francisco Morales are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Charges are allegations only.