A woman was arrested by Salt Lake County sheriff's investigators early Wednesday in connection with the murder of a young Taylorsville woman whose body was set on fire near I-80 Sunday night.
Sally Ann Krivanek was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on one count of aggravated murder. She was arrested about 1:30 a.m. Details of the arrest were expected to be released at a Wednesday press conference.
The body of Kellie Nelson was found about 7:30 p.m. Sunday off the side of I-80 about 9000 West near a freeway underpass under a pile of burning rubbish.
Salt Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Jerry Townsend said some type of accelerant, possibly gasoline, was poured on Nelson. It was still unknown Wednesday whether Nelson was killed prior to the fire.
Krivanek is the ex-girlfriend of Nelson's current live-in boyfriend. When informed of the arrest Wednesday morning, the boyfriend told the Deseret News he was absolutely shocked. He described Krivanek as a longtime friend and someone he has known for years.
Investigators originally believed Nelson's abduction, which came around 5 a.m. as she was leaving for work, and murder constituted a crime of opportunity.
Her car was found in the parking lot of the nearby Fairway Apartments, 1141 West and 3900 South.
Nelson was described by both friends and investigators as a "good" person who wasn't caught up in drugs or gangs and had no criminal history.
She lived with her boyfriend in a quiet townhouse condominium in Barrington Park near 4200 South and 1300 West. They shared the condo with three other young men.
Neighbors described the occupants of the condo as quiet and respectful of the other residents in the condo complex.
Nelson's family lives in Bountiful. She graduated from Bountiful High School.
She worked as a blood component specialist for ARUP at University Hospital. Dr. Ronald Weiss of ARUP said Nelson's co-workers were devastated when they heard the news.
"I think she'll be greatly missed. She impacted everyone she came in contact with. She's a great person." co-worker Kurt Bischoff told KSL-TV.
E-mail: preavy@desnews.com