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Police Arrest 75-Year-Old ‘Acquaintance’ In ‘Suspicious’ Death Of Woman Whose Body Was Found Near River

Crime scene tape [Shutterstock]

[Shutterstock]

Brianna Lyman News and Commentary Writer
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A 75-year-old man has reportedly been arrested in connection to the “suspicious” death of a 53-year-old woman whose body was found near a river in Utah.

Masako Kenley was found Sunday evening along the Jordan River in Sandy City in a heavily wooded area, Sandy City Police said in a statement. Kenley had a gunshot wound to the chest, according to KSL TV.

Authorities enlisted the help of Rocky Mountain Rescue Dogs, Inc., which they say was “pivotal” to Kenley’s discovery. Police said Kenley’s death “is being investigated as a suspicious death.”

William O’Reilly has been arrested for Kenley’s death, which is being considered a homicide, according to Fox 13. Police reportedly said O’Reilly is an acquaintance of Kenley and faces several charges such as aggravated murder, desecration of a corpse and obstruction of justice. (RELATED: Man Arrested For Allegedly Murdering Woman And Dumping Her Body In A Trash Can)

“Our detectives are still pursuing other information in this case, so I don’t have specifics on their relationship,” Lt. Dean Carriger said, according to the report. “I just know that they are acquaintances.”

Kenley allegedly knew O’Reilly through work at the United States Postal Service, according to 2 KUTV. Co-workers reportedly said O’Reilly was “obsessed” with Kenley and that Kenley “had problems with [O’Reilly] in the past.”

Kenley was last seen Friday around 4:00 p.m., in the Midvale area. She was reported missing Saturday after friends and family could not reach her. Authorities later found her car in a parking lot.

Authorities said that Kenley and O’Reilly were together Friday afternoon, according to KSL TV. O’Reilly allegedly told investigators he turned Kenley’s phone off near where her body was later discovered. O’Reilly also reportedly removed a tracking device from Kenley’s van and hid it in his own vehicle.

Kenley’s husband, Bill, said the loss is “devastating, but we feel blessed to have had her in our lives for as long as we did,” according to Fox 13.