OGDEN, Utah — Police say the death of a Roy man whose body was found in a vehicle in Ogden was likely a homicide.
On Tuesday at 4:00 PM officers from Ogden City Police Department were dispatched to a parking lot to help with a cardiac arrest. Upon their arrival to the 3200 block of Orchard Avenue, they discovered an obviously deceased body in a vehicle.
However, they could not determine a cause of death at the scene.
“The position, location, and condition of the body in the vehicle appeared suspicious, but no cause of death could be determined at the time. On Wednesday an autopsy by the state medical examiner’s office revealed this person was likely a victim of homicide,” Roy police said in a news release.
The victim, 38-year-old Steve Bailey of Roy, was found to have suffered a single gunshot wound to his head. As a result of this, the Weber County Homicide Task Force was activated and immediately began their investigation into this case.
In a release sent out by Roy City Police Department, they said investigators learned that Bailey had been in an argument with a friend, 48-year-old Daniel Johnson, also of Roy, regarding a financial disagreement. The argument took place at Johnson’s home and during the argument, it is alleged that Johnson fired one shot from a handgun striking Bailey in the head.
The argument and shooting are believed to have occurred on the evening of Saturday, April 10 as stated by the state medical examiner’s office. Furthermore, Johnson is accused of placing Bailey in Bailey’s vehicle, then driving him to the parking lot in Ogden where his body was later found.
Police say three children between the ages of 9 and 15 were in the home at the time of the shooting. According to police, they are safe and with their mother at this time.
Daniel Johnson was located and interviewed by agents of the homicide task force and was subsequently booked into the Weber County Correctional Facility for investigation of Murder, Desecration of a Body, Obstruction of Justice, and Possession of a Firearm by a Restricted Person.
Police released no further details.