U of U student dead, man arrested in hotel death

SALT LAKE CITY — A woman is dead and a man is in custody after he allegedly gave her a lethal injection in what court documents call “an attempt to commit suicide together.”

According to a probable cause statement, Salt Lake City Police were alerted by University of Utah Police of a possible suicide or homicide case Friday morning. The University Police were made aware of an email sent from a student to a staff member at the University of Utah sent by 26-year-old Haoyu Wang stating that he had injected his girlfriend with heroin to relieve her from suffering. The email stated both would be dead when they were found.

SLCPD pinged the victim’s phone and around 6:06 a.m. arrived at 616 South 200 West to conduct a welfare check. Both SLCPD and University Police conducted a welfare check on a hotel room registered to Haoyu Wang and discovered the victim and Wang in the room. The woman was found deceased and Wang was taken into custody.

The woman has since been identified as 19-year-old Zhifan Dong.

In an interview described in a probable cause statement, Wang said the two “intended to commit suicide together,” but upon a failed attempt, Wang injected the Dong with drugs with the “intent to kill her and relieve her suffering.”

After injecting the Dong, Wang said he injected himself as well and remained with the her until police arrival.

Through the duration of this investigation, detectives learned Wang and Dong were in a romantic relationship and had been living together. In a statement from SLCPD it states, “As such, this case is being investigated as a domestic violence-related homicide.”

Wang has been booked on suspicion of murder in the Salt Lake County Metro Jail.

The University of Utah released a statement regarding the Dong’s death stating, “Police have indicated that the situation was likely a domestic violence situation.”

They offered resources to students on campus affected by her death and their condolences to family and friends.