UPDATED: Investigation continues into woman found dead outside gas station on St. George Boulevard

Written by Chris Reed
February 1, 2023

ST. GEORGE — A deceased woman was found in the rear area of the Shell gas station on St. George Boulevard at the corner of 300 West on Wednesday morning. Police said they were treating the death as “suspicious.”

Outside the Shell gas station at 297 W. St. George Boulevard after a body was found, St. George, Utah, Feb. 1, 2023 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

St. George Police were alerted to a possible “cardiac arrest” at the gas station and mechanic shop at 297 W. St. George Boulevard around 9 a.m. The business owner reportedly discovered a person not moving as they were opening the mechanic part of the business shortly before then.

The woman, whose age has not been released, was pronounced dead at the scene. 

“We’re treating it as a suspicious death right now,” St. George Police Officer Tiffany Mitchell told St. George News at the scene. “We’ve got all hands on deck.”

Mitchell later said despite the initial nature of the call, “we don’t think she was alive at that time.”

The body was found near the rear east side of the building. At the site, there was a pool of blood near the body, which was among tires, vehicles that were parked overnight, a wheel hub and other automotive debris next to a cargo container that sits at the back of the station.

More than a dozen officers and detectives could be seen scouring the scene, checking everything from other vehicles parked nearby to tires stacked up in the back. A medical examiner arrived around 10 a.m., and representatives with the county attorney’s office were also at the scene. 

Officers were not saying whether it appeared the person died of some blunt force trauma, wound or gunshot. 

“What we do is we investigate it completely with no assumptions as to what it is, and we let the evidence lead us to a determination of what happened,” Mitchell said. 

While yellow police tape blocked the rear entrance and several officers were scouring the scene, business operations continued in the front of the store. 

Outside the Shell gas station at 297 W. St. George Boulevard after a body was found, St. George, Utah, Feb. 1, 2023 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

Manning the front cash register, Courtney said she didn’t want to look past the window. She was off the day before to attend her grandfather’s funeral and was worried about being triggered. 

“I didn’t even walk past to the back this morning. I usually do,” said Courtney, who did not provide her last name. “Weird way to start the morning. My grandpa actually passed away last week. So we buried him yesterday.”

The scene outside was quiet except for the sound of the passing cars on the boulevard, the conversations of officers and the traffic light with a voice alert “walk sign is on” going off intermittently for the visually impaired. 

Looking on across the street was Brendan, the owner of a nearby business. He told St. George News he had informed the officers about seeing suspicious activity early in the morning before the gas station opened.

“It was just a person in a car just sitting there idling at around 7 o’clock,” he said. “It was kind of weird.”

Mitchell said all leads will be investigated.

“They’re talking to all the businesses around here, looking at all the cameras, talking to anybody that’s been … in the area that would have any idea,” Mitchell said.

While the gas station’s pumps continuously remain open, the mechanic shop, known as Prime Tire & Auto Repair, and the shop portion of the station are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Mitchell said officers remained on the scene throughout the morning to investigate, and the body was taken to the coroner for an autopsy. Just after noon, police tape was removed and the scene was cleared by 12:30 p.m. 

Late in the day, Mitchell said police are still awaiting an autopsy report. Until then, no further information will be released because of the ongoing investigation. Police are also seeking the help of anyone who might know more about the incident by calling 435-627-4300 and referencing incident #23P002756.

Update Feb. 1, 5 p.m. Latest details with autopsy ongoing, nature of initial call.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris Reed serves as a reporter for St. George News, where he has been honored with several awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for his work, including first-place accolades. He started his journalism career as a sports reporter and editor in Southern California where he once compared shoe sizes with Shaquille O'Neal and exchanged mix tapes with members of the Los Angeles Kings. After growing up in the San Fernando Valley learning karate skills from Mr. Miyagi and spending a decade in Las Vegas mostly avoiding the casinos, he came to St. George for love and married his soulmate, a lifetime Southern Utah resident. He is the proud father of two boys, his youngest a champion against both autism and Type 1 diabetes.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGNews

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