Confessed Killer Leads Police To Remains Of Mother And Son Killed In 2015
Sep 9, 2019, 2:41 PM | Updated: Jul 16, 2023, 4:04 pm
EUREKA, Utah – The bodies of Emily Quijano and her son Gabriel Almiron, who were reported missing four years ago, were found in a shallow grave south of Eureka, according to police.
Officials said they located human remains five miles south of the town on Friday and officials confirmed the remains belong to the 23-year-old woman and her 3-year-old son on Monday.
For the past month, there had been a renewed push to find Quijano and her son. After four long years of searching, their remains were finally found.
“Two individuals from the Juab County Sheriff’s search and rescue team were able to come across what they believed was a shallow grave,” said Lieutenant Trent Colledge with the Orem Police Department.
The medical examiner’s office confirmed Quijano’s identity on Monday and said the other remains are assumed to be Gabriel’s.
Orem police said the discovery was made Friday morning in an isolated area outside of Eureka.
“It’s desolate,” Colledge said. “It’s a lot of sagebrush, a lot of cedar trees, a lot of places that somebody could obviously bury people.”
Emily’s boyfriend, 30-year-old Christopher Poulson, admitted in court last month to killing Quijano and her son in September 2015.
Poulson said he had been using meth and drinking alcohol for several days when he severely injured Almiron. When he discovered the boy had died during the night, he said he shot Emily in a panic while she slept.
Last month, Quijano’s mother, Brenda Marsh, said she just wanted to know where her daughter and grandson were buried.
“I hold no animosity towards him and forgive him,” Marsh said. “We want him to do what is necessary to obtain forgiveness and peace from God.”
As part of a unique plea bargain, Poulson agreed to help officers in the search for the mother and son’s remains.
Although he didn’t remember exactly where he buried them, he did provide a general search area.
That, combined with dedication and hard work from multiple agencies, finally brought Quijano and Almiron home.
“I can only imagine the pain that they’ve suffered and I’m hoping that by doing what we’ve done, we’ve been able to help them have some sort of comfort and closure,” Colledge said.
Poulson faces 16 years-to-life in prison, but prosecutors said they will ask a judge to allow him to plead to lesser charges after leading authorities to Quijano and Almiron’s remains. That could open the door to a lesser sentence.
Poulson could also retract his plea and plead guilty to lesser charges, although a judge has said he will not commit to that deal.
Poulson is expected to be sentenced on September 26.
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