Court documents detail timeline in killing of Roosevelt woman Kimberly Hyde
Oct 23, 2024, 12:32 PM | Updated: Oct 24, 2024, 6:23 am
NOTE: Some details of the investigation may be disturbing and should be read with discretion.
VERNAL — Unsealed court documents detail why a warrant has been issued for the man charged with killing a Utah woman. Investigators state that once the victim’s body was located, he apparently fled the U.S.
Documents also outline what investigators believe were the circumstances leading to the killing of Kimberly Hyde, 60, of Roosevelt. Hyde will be laid to rest Friday.
Henry Cito Piano Resuera Jr. is charged with the murder of Hyde, who was reported missing on Oct. 7 and found dead in her car the following day. The affidavit states that Resuera flew to the Philippines after the killing while his son and wife told investigators what happened.
Police previously reported two primary suspects in the case: Resuera and a juvenile who has not been named because of his age. Hyde lived next door to Resuera and were family friends.
“Henry has been in the Hyde residence on many occasions,” documents state.
Hyde was reported missing by her husband on Oct.7, while Roosevelt and Vernal police posted about her disappearance on social media platforms. Her car was found the following day at 750 S. 500 East in Vernal, approximately 38 miles from her home.
Chris Bertram, a retired deputy chief of police, told KSL TV just how much of a digital footprint is left behind in a case like this.
“We leave a digital footprint of ourselves everywhere we go,” Bertram said. “You can literally recreate where those people were at certain times.”
Bertram told KSL TV that it appeared investigators used cell phone data and numerous cameras to track the movements of next door neighbor, and suspect, Henry Resuera, along with Hyde’s car.
In a timeline of events around the killing, police said Hyde returned home with a friend on Oct. 7 at approximately 2:30 p.m., 23 minutes after Resuera was seen on camera leaving his house and heading toward Hyde’s residence. Burglary charges suggest Resuera may have been in Hyde’s home when she returned.
At 2:47 p.m. Hyde’s friend is on camera leaving her home. A text message from Hyde’s phone to the friend at 3:10 p.m. stated, “I have to go to Vernal again.” At 3:50 p.m. school bus camera footage shows Hyde’s car is not where it was eventually found in Vernal. At 4:30 p.m. her car was recorded heading toward Vernal.
Police said they have footage from multiple sources of Hyde’s car heading to Vernal, including at 5:14 p.m., as the car is driven by a person “who appears small in stature and appears to be wearing a hat.”
“The contents of the car’s back seat are seen and are consistent with what was located by investigators when the victim was located in the car,” documents state.
The car was still being driven in the Vernal area while her husband was arriving home in Roosevelt by bus.
The documents detail how, in camera footage, investigators could see what they believed was a body in the car, concealed by items placed on top of it, just as it was seen through car windows when it was located on Oct. 8. After securing a warrant, investigators found Hyde’s body and a detective attended the autopsy to aid in the investigation.
“The car was dumped and put into a plain place, her body was not really concealed,” Bertram said. “It was going to be found.”
The medical examiner, the documents state, found blunt force trauma to Hyde’s head and face, eight superficial stab wounds, and fatal neck wounds.
A witness informed police that Resuera’s son had spoken about driving to the airport for an emergency flight. License plate readers identified a family vehicle on the route. Police contacted Resuera’s wife and son and obtained a search warrant, locating what appeared to be drops of blood in the driveway.
Investigators said in interviews, the family members said Resuera told them he killed Hyde and provided details about her death that had not been made publicly available, including her injuries and how she was bound. They said they were fearful of Resuera because of unreported domestic violence.
The son said he was told to meet his father in Vernal but, at the time, didn’t know why. He said he picked up Resuera where Hyde’s car was dropped off.
After media attention about the discovery of Hyde’s car, Resuera reportedly confessed to his wife and son and told them details about the killing that weren’t publicly available. The suspect then purchased a ticket and boarded a plane to the Philippines.
A warrant for Resuera was issued on suspicion of aggravated homicide, kidnapping, robbery, and burglary, all first-degree felonies. Police said they are working with the FBI and international agencies to facilitate Resuera’s return to face charges.
Hyde’s obituary states she was a Duchesne High School and Utah State University graduate. At USU, she earned a bachelor’s in social work and was given the award of outstanding student for the year. She was a social worker for Utah’s Division of Child and Family Services, the Uintah Basin Senior Villa, and Rocky Mountain Hospice. Before college, she served lunches at a local elementary. It states she was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Contributing: Andrew Adams, KSL TV