Arrests made in deaths of missing Eureka teens
Mar 29, 2018, 10:40 AM | Updated: Mar 30, 2018, 1:45 am
EUREKA, Juab County — Jerrod William Baum, 41, has been arrested in connection to the deaths of two missing teens whose bodies were believed to have been found in a mine shaft Wednesday.
Jerrod William Baum, Utah County Sheriff’s Office
The Utah County Sheriff’s Office said Baum was arrested for investigation of aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping, desecration of a body and witness tampering, among other charges.
Wednesday investigators recovered two bodies from the Tintic Standard Mine outside of Eureka. While they are still awaiting the results from the Medical Examiner’s Office, officials believe the bodies are those of 18-year-old Riley Powell and 17-year-old Breezy Otteson.
For three months, there’s been a cross-county search for the couple. They were last seen in Mammoth on December 30, and never arrived home. Police reported that Powell’s Jeep was found under suspicious circumstances, with slashed tires, in January.
According to a probable cause statement filed with Baum’s arrest, after multiple interviews, Baum’s girlfriend Morgan Henderson told police that Baum had tied up the couple, drove them to a mine, killed them with a knife, and dumped their bodies.
Police used Facebook messages to connect the couple to Henderson. According to the PC statement, she and the couple had met up the night the teens went missing.
Baum has a lengthy criminal including felony convictions for theft, aggravated assault, and possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person.
RELATED: Man accused of murdering teenage couple had extensive criminal history
The Utah County Sheriff said multiple arrests have been made in this case. We’ll have more information as it becomes available.
