An illegal immigrant from Mexico suspected of murdering his girlfriend from Utah was deported in December and then returned to Utah just days before her body was found in Tooele.
Talia Benward, 31, of Kearns, was last seen at a Maverik store around 3:15 p.m. in West Jordan on New Year’s Day. Authorities found her body in a remote area of Tooele, about a 45-minute drive from West Jordan.
The Greater Salt Lake Unified Police Department said Sunday that Benward’s boyfriend, Nestor Rocha-Aguayo, a 24-year-old from Sinaloa, Mexico, had been arrested in connection with Benward’s disappearance and murder.
A spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told Fox News Digital that Aguayo-Rocha is a Mexican citizen who has been removed from the United States twice.
Talia Benward, 31, of Kearns, was last seen at a Maverik store in West Jordan on New Year’s Day around 3:15 p.m. Authorities found her body in a remote area of Tooele, about a 45-minute drive from West Jordan. (Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake)
He entered the country illegally near Calexico, California, on September 1, 2016. He was convicted years later on local charges, and an Enforcement and Removal Operations officer booked an inmate into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail in Utah on January 22, 2024.
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Emergency response officials took him into custody on April 2, and an immigration judge granted him voluntary departure. He returned to Mexico on April 30.
Rocha-Aguayo then illegally entered the United States at an unknown date and location. Emergency response officers met him in November at the Salt Lake County Metro Jail, where he was being held on local charges.
The Greater Salt Lake Unified Police Department said Sunday that Benward’s boyfriend, Nestor Rocha-Aguayo, a 24-year-old illegal immigrant from Sinaloa, Mexico, had been arrested in connection with Benward’s disappearance and murder. (The Greater Salt Lake Unified Police Department)
Emergency response officials took Rocha-Aguayo back into custody and he returned to Mexico on December 24.
“He entered the US for the third time without permission from an immigration officer,” the ICE spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
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U.S. Marshals arrested Rocha-Aguayo on January 5 charges of aggravated murderabuse or desecration of a dead human being, aggravated robbery and other charges. ERO placed an inmate at the Salt Lake County Metro Jail the same day.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Rocha-Aguayo is a Mexican citizen who has been removed from the United States twice. (The Greater Salt Lake Unified Police Department)
Surveillance video footage shows Benward pulling into the Maverik gas station on New Year’s Day in a “borrowed” vehicle and Rocha-Aguayo getting into the passenger seat, at which point the “two started pointing at each other, they rolled down their windows.” and it seemed like they were arguing,” according to court documents obtained by FOX 13 Salt Lake City.
They were together for several hours before driving together to Tooele, where Benward’s phone stopped tracking her location while Rocha-Aguayo returned to Salt Lake City, according to FOX 13.
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Detectives later found bloodstains in the car the couple was driving together. When they found Benward’s stick-covered remains behind some brush in a remote part of the highway in Tooele, they also found the remains of a floor mat that matched the floor mats in the vehicle the couple was driving.
U.S. Marshals arrested Rocha-Aguayo on Jan. 5 on charges of aggravated murder, abuse or desecration of a dead human being, aggravated robbery and other charges. ERO placed an inmate at the Salt Lake County Metro Jail the same day. (The Greater Salt Lake Unified Police Department)
Court records show his previous charges from last year include theft, aggravated assault, damage to property, two counts of possession with intent to distribute, failure to stop when ordered by a law enforcement officer, reckless driving, interfering with a peace officer, driving a police car. vehicle on an unopened street, burglary, assault and unlawful arrest.
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He was also involved in multiple domestic violence incidents with Benward.
Police are investigating Benward’s death as a homicide and are asking anyone with information to send tips to 801-840-4000. Refer to case CO25-473. Tips can remain anonymous.
