Taylorsville Auto Mechanic Collapsed, Died After Finding Work Trailer Stolen

TAYLORSVILLE, Utah —Patrick Kartchner loved to fix cars and his family says he was always willing to lend a hand.

“He’s the first person people would call, ‘Hey, I broke down’ and he is always there,” said his 19-year-old daughter Jadian Kartchner.

But Jadian and her family are mourning the loss of her father Patrick. The 47-year-old had spent his career as an auto mechanic.

“He liked working on his own because he could charge people for what he thought, he didn’t like to overcharge people,” she said.

Patrick Kartchner’s work trailer was parked at his home in Taylorsville. Monday morning when he was getting ready to leave for work, it was gone.

“All of his working equipment, everything he needed, the expensive stuff,” she said.

Patrick Kartchner would take the trailer to make house calls and repair cars.

“He worked so hard to achieve things he wanted to achieve and then he was so devastated that somebody would take that all away from him,” she added.

Jadian Kartchner and her mom started driving around the neighborhood looking for the trailer.

“When I left he was fine, he was on the phone with police describing everything that was in the trailer, and when I got home, he wasn’t fine anymore,” she said.

Despite efforts to resuscitate him, he passed away.

“You can only imagine the shock and the trauma losing your livelihood and now they have lost a loved one on top of that,” said Det. Chuck Malm, with the Unified Police Department.

Detectives with Unified police are now searching for the single axle, 8-by-12 trailer, with stainless steel wheel covers, hoping to give the family some justice and closure.

“He was friends with everybody, he was such a good guy, so it is nice to know that he made so many friends and they are them for him, even when he is not there anymore,” Jadian Kartchner added.

The family would like to get the trailer and tools back to help with their loss. There is also a crowd funding campaign available online, for those who want to help the family.