ST. GEORGE — Details related to the search of 73-year-old Kay Gosewisch’s property have been released, revealing what officers found that turned the missing person case into a homicide investigation.
According to a search warrant unsealed Monday, Cedar City detectives found evidence during a search of Gosewisch’s property Aug. 31 that led them to believe that “someone has been seriously injured or worse.”
It was during that search that detectives found Gosewisch’s remains buried underneath a cinder block shed on the east side of the property on Cedarwood Terrace.
The evidence recovered during the search also led investigators to believe that the woman’s son, Joshua James Glover, 32, whom she shared her home with, was a person of interest in connection with her death.
In fact, Glover is the sole person of interest in the case, Iron County Prosecutor Chad Dotson told Cedar City News last week.
Glover was arrested Sept. 8, after a short pursuit with police and is being held in the Iron County Jail on one count of desecration of a corpse in connection with his mother’s death.
The case began as a missing person case that was set in motion Aug. 18 when police received a call regarding suspicious activity involving Gosewisch’s bank account. They discovered Glover was allegedly attempting to withdraw several thousand dollars from her account.
While canvassing the neighborhood, detectives spoke to the woman’s neighbors who reported they had not seen Gosewisch in several months, which was very out of character for her, and when they attempted to contact her, the calls went straight to voicemail.
Several neighbors also told police they had seen Glover at the home periodically, but it had been multiple weeks since they had last seen him. This was evidenced by the stack of mail that was piled up in the mailbox as well as a disconnect notice on the door from the water department dated Aug. 27.
During an initial search of Gosewisch’s residence, a single-family home with a main floor and a basement, officers entered the basement area where they found “a very large amount of what appears to be dried blood on the ceiling, walls, floor and on many other items” in a particular area of the room, according to the warrant.
They also found several bullet holes throughout the room, possibly from a shotgun and a smaller caliber weapon, which led investigators to conclude that “due to the large amount of blood and evidence of a firearm being discharged that someone has been seriously injured or worse.”
Officers also collected dried blood from walls and carpet along with evidence of a struggle or violent activity that possibly took place inside of the home and anything else that could lead investigators to Goswisch’s whereabouts.
On the main floor of the residence, officers found a large bowl of cat food and “a great deal of cat fecal matter” throughout the home, indicating there were cats that had been left unattended inside the home for a long period of time.
In the backyard, they found a second set of cement stairs leading to a second basement entrance to the home, along with a cinderblock shed on the east side of the property that was secured with a padlock — which is where Gosewisch’s remains were found buried underground later that same day.
Dotson told Cedar City News last week that while Glover has been charged with desecration of a corpse for allegedly disposing of his mother’s remains, the county attorney’s office was not ready to file murder charges against the defendant at this point in the investigation.
Glover made an initial appearance Sept. 15 and, according to Dotson, further details surrounding the incident will be presented during a preliminary hearing scheduled to take place Sept. 28.
In addition to the desecration charge, Glover faces multiple other charges in connection with the case, including two counts each of possession of a firearm by a restricted person and unlawful acquisition of a financial card, as well as failure to respond to police and a misdemeanor drug charge.
Glover remains in custody without bail, as the court ruled there was “clear and convincing evidence” the suspect poses a substantial danger to any other individual or to the community, or that he is “likely to flee the jurisdiction of the court” if released.
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