SALT LAKE CITY — The families of three men who have been missing for nearly a year and are presumed dead — likely murdered — met with Salt Lake homicide investigators Wednesday.
Levi Collins, 34, Danny Gallegos, 35, and Braden Emerson, 23, disappeared on Nov. 1, 2014, after the three close friends told family members they planned to ride their ATVs near the "B" on Bountiful's mountainside.
But police don't believe they ever made it there.
Publicly, police have only labeled the three men as "missing." But according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by the Deseret News before it was sealed, detectives strongly believe all three were murdered. Their bodies, however, have never been found.
On Wednesday, family members of Collins, Gallegos and Emerson arrived at the Salt Lake City Public Safety Building one by one. All were anxious for any update on the case, whether the bodies of their loved ones had been found or any word about when criminal charges might be filed.
About 20 minutes after the meeting was scheduled to begin, Roy Emerson, the father of Braden Emerson, came outside. He said he had been asked to leave the police station because he became too upset with what officers were telling him.
An animated Emerson — sometimes speaking angrily, other times crying — said he was frustrated that charges weren't being filed on Wednesday. He said he wanted to find his son's body so he could properly lay him to rest and bring those responsible for the deaths to justice.
As the members of the other families left the building about 30 minutes later, they were more calm and seemed optimistic that the investigation is moving in the right direction. The families of Gallegos and Collins simply said they feel good about how the case is progressing, but declined further comment.
Salt Lake police detective Richard Chipping said the meeting was called to update the families all at once about the case, and to let them know the investigation is still underway.
"The case is still currently open and active and we're still investigating it," he said. "The district attorney's office is currently reviewing the case for screening."
Chipping added that police would still like to talk to anyone who has information about the case and encouraged them to call Salt Lake police at 801-799-3000.
On Nov. 2, Gallegos' aunt called police to report the three men were missing.
On Nov. 3, a business owner called Salt Lake Animal Control to report that a barking dog was inside an abandoned Chevy Tahoe near the Jordan River surplus canal at 1740 W. 1500 South. The dog belonged to Collins.
Inside the vehicle, detectives found a "large" amount of blood. They later proved through DNA testing the blood belonged to Collins and Emerson. Police believe both were killed in the Tahoe. Collins' blood was found in the driver's seat. Officers also reported finding a cut seat belt in the Tahoe and enough blood in the driver's side of the vehicle that the person who suffered the injury likely would not have survived. A large amount of blood was also found in the rear passenger seat behind the driver as well as a bullet hole in the left rear passenger door and another cut seat belt.
The warrant also indicated it is "highly likely that Danny Gallegos was killed inside of (an) old motor home" that was seized as part of the investigation. Sources close to the investigation told the Deseret News in March that police believe an associate of Gallegos and his father were persons of interest in the disappearance of the trio.
However, an attorney for one of the men, Loni Deland, insisted in March that his client "never killed anyone" and said if police had enough evidence to prosecute they would have already filed charges.
Over the past year, police have conducted at least two searches in Butterfield Canyon with cadaver dogs looking for the three men. No bodies were found.
Police say the son — one of the persons of interest — borrowed a friend's truck on Nov. 1, 2014. When he returned it, he "recommended (the owner) clean the bed of the truck with bleach," the affidavit states.
"Upon its return, the truck’s fuel tank was almost empty and there was between 500 and 600 miles on the trip odometer," according to the warrant. When police searched the truck, they found "totes, shovels, chains and tow straps, along with a bottle of bleach and we also collected some blood in the bed of the truck."
On Nov. 20, a SWAT team helped detectives execute a search warrant on a motorhome the son had recently purchased with cash. Inside, they found "numerous guns, ammo, money, a bloody pillow case and other items such as phones and computers," the warrant states.
The son had also apparently borrowed from the same man a Camaro that matched the description of one seen on surveillance video with the SUV at the canal, police said. When it was returned, the son said "that he got caught up in a murder" and again told the owner to clean the truck bed with bleach and not drive the Camaro for a while, according to the affidavit.
A federal complaint was unsealed against the son in November in another case. The two-count complaint alleges that he had assisted Gallegos with using his business, JC Custom Jewelry, to launder money, provided a storage unit for him, had accompanied him to drop off marijuana, gave him a yellow Lamborghini and was going to help him buy a house. Gallegos was identified in the complaint as being a "drug dealer" who became an informant for the FBI in July of 2014.
That jewelry store closed shortly after the three men went missing.
According to the search warrant, the father said he closed the store "because they got involved with some bad people."
Email: preavy@deseretnews.com
Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam