BLUFFDALE — A woman who allegedly thought her husband was cheating on her was arrested Tuesday after falsely reporting that her husband had killed her, police say.
Rebbecca Spring Nielson, 44, of Bluffdale, was arrested for investigation of criminal mischief and making a false police report involving death.
The unusual incident started about 2 a.m. Tuesday when a woman called 911 after receiving text messages from a person purporting to be Nielson's husband, stating that "he had shot his wife and didn't know what to do," according to a Salt Lake County Jail report. The woman asked the man if he was serious, and he responded by text that he wasn't joking, the report states.
Police officers from Saratoga Springs/Bluffdale, Herriman and the Unified Police Department responded to the husband's Bluffdale home, surrounded it, and ordered the residents to come out.
That's when Nielson walked up to officers on scene.
Investigators trying to unravel what was going on learned that Nielson and her husband had gotten into an argument several hours earlier because the husband was texting another woman, the report states. Nielson allegedly smashed her husband's laptop, took her husband's phone and left.
After leaving, Nielson began sending texts to the woman using her husband's phone and while claiming to be her husband, the report states. That's when she allegedly told the woman — while acting as her husband — that Nielson had been shot.
"Rebbecca claimed she wanted to see how the (the woman) would respond, and Rebbecca wanted to see if the (woman) would be … covering up the crime," according to the report.
Police say Nielson and her husband have been married for about 10 months.