CRIME, POLICE + COURTS
UPDATE: Four missing children found safely
Apr 20, 2022, 12:41 PM | Updated: 3:37 pm
A photo of the suspect, Yaneli Murillo. Photo credit South Salt Lake Police Department.
Update: 3:26 p.m.
The Amber Alert issued for the four missing South Salt Lake children has been canceled. The alert details said all four children were located safely and are unharmed.
Our previous coverage
SOUTH SALT LAKE, Utah – An Amber Alert has been issued for four children believed to be in danger.
The suspect vehicles are a 1999 gray Dodge Durango with black rims and a Utah license plate of P005223105. The Durango has no license plates but has a temporary tag on the rear driver’s side.
The second vehicle is a 2004 tan Ford Explorer with a Utah license plate of 4R4KV. The Explorer is missing the front passenger hubcap and has no front plate.
Information on suspects and missing children
The suspects are the younger children’s mother, Yaneli Murillo, and their grandmother, Maria Alvarez, who goes by Murillo.
Yaneli Murillo is 5 feet 4 inches tall. She weighs 110 pounds and has black hair and eyes. She was last seen wearing a black jacket and purple or pink pants.
The second suspect, Maria Murillo, is 5 feet 4 inches tall and she has brown hair.
The South Salt Lake Police Department said anyone with information can call 801-840-4000 or dial 911. Police said they are concerned for all four of the children’s well-being.
The Utah Amber Alert included the following photos of the suspects and missing children.
Information on investigation
During a press conference on Wednesday morning, Executive Officer for the South Salt Lake Police Department Danielle Croyle said police began an investigation into the kidnapping of two children on Wednesday afternoon. She said their investigation led them to look into the welfare of the two additional children.
The two younger children were supposed to be taken into protective custody by the Division of Child and Family Services. But police said the children’s mother and grandmother fled after refusing to turn over the children.
The investigation began after a judge ordered a warrant for the removal of an infant and two-year-old child.
After a welfare check, state officials say they realized that the two older children were not in school.
The older children are the grandmother’s children.
Though the two older children were not improperly taken out of school, the police department said it was working with Granite School District and Granite Police Department.
Croyle said that a text sent to a DCFS caseworker by the mother involved threats about the children being killed.
The children’s last known location was the 100-block east of Sunset Avenue.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
