SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (KSL.com) — Unified police on Saturday located the body of a missing woman in a remote location in Tooele County. The woman was murdered, police say, and now they are looking for her “violent ex-boyfriend” in connection with her death.

On Thursday, the family of Talia Benward reported to Unified police that she was missing.

“As the investigation developed and evidence was gathered, it became evident Talia Benward was either being held against her will by a violent ex-boyfriend or was deceased,” Unified police said in a statement Sunday.

Beginning in the early morning hours on Saturday, police searched a remote area of Tooele County where they thought she could be. The large area is “covered with tall brush and cedar trees” and was being conducted in “nearly total darkness and frigid snowy conditions.”

Benward’s body was located at 5:20 a.m. Saturday with the assistance of the Salt Lake City and Weber County K-9 teams, police said.

“Preliminarily, it appears the victim may have suffered from blunt force trauma and trauma to her neck area,” the statement says.

The Unified Police Department is treating Benward’s death as a homicide and is asking for the public’s help in locating Nestor Rocha-Aguayo, 24, of West Valley City, who they say is a person of interest. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 801-840-4000.

“We do believe he is still in Salt Lake County and are asking individuals to not confront him but to call police,” the statement says.

A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.

On Jan. 5, 1974, a major winter storm moved across southern Utah, dropping more than a foot of snow on Kanab and St. George and causing numerous traffic accidents.

Nationally, year-round daylight saving time had begun in the U.S. on a trial basis as a fuel-saving measure in response to the OPEC oil embargo.

But Californians, southern Nevadans and residents of Utah’s Dixie — where the sun always shined was dealing with a soggy storm track. The rarely seen snowstorms, snarled traffic all along I-15. Victorville, California, reported 21 inches of fluffy snow on Jan. 4.

In St. George, a storm had hit on New Year’s Day, then on Jan. 4-5, the snow hit the Arizona Strip, Washington and Kane counties and beyond.

According to the Deseret News, ”a population explosion of snowmen and snowball fights” were reported. The same Deseret News article reported many St. George residents walked to church rather than risk the drive on icy roads.

Storms in that area of the state — usually the Beehive State’s winter playground — are rare but not unheard of. Similar storms in 1894, 1919, 1993, 2006, 2007 and 2008 found their way into the record books.

But on Jan. 5, 10 inches fell in St. George.

Here are some articles from Deseret News archives about snow in southern Utah, why snowbirds love to fly to St. George and Utah’s weather history:

“Snow hits Utah from Ogden to St. George”

“Rare coating of snow in Dixie creates travel troubles”

“‘83 floods top Utah’s ‘disaster’ list: Tornado, avalanche, cold also rank high for century

“Snowbirds flocking to St. George”

“Rare snowstorm traps I-15 motorists overnight on Arizona Strip”

“Snow in Utah’s Dixie”

“The snow is a gift that I don’t really want anymore”

Associated Press

Utah Jazz (8-25, 14th in the Western Conference) vs. Orlando Magic (21-15, fourth in the Eastern Conference)

Orlando, Florida; Sunday, 6:30 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Magic -6.5; over/under is 212

BOTTOM LINE: The Utah Jazz take on the Orlando Magic in a non-conference matchup.

The Magic have gone 13-4 at home. Orlando is the top team in the Eastern Conference in team defense, allowing 103.4 points while holding opponents to 46.4% shooting.

The Jazz are 6-13 on the road. Utah allows the most points in the Western Conference, giving up 119.2 points while allowing opponents to shoot 48.2%.

The Magic score 105.6 points per game, 13.6 fewer points than the 119.2 the Jazz allow. The Jazz are shooting 46.1% from the field, 0.3% lower than the 46.4% the Magic’s opponents have shot this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jalen Suggs is shooting 41.0% and averaging 16.4 points for the Magic.

John Collins is averaging 17.9 points and 8.3 rebounds for the Jazz.

LAST 10 GAMES: Magic: 4-6, averaging 100.5 points, 40.0 rebounds, 23.2 assists, 9.5 steals and 6.3 blocks per game while shooting 43.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 103.7 points per game.

Jazz: 3-7, averaging 116.8 points, 46.0 rebounds, 26.2 assists, 7.1 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 47.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 120.2 points.

INJURIES: Magic: Gary Harris: out (hamstring), Paolo Banchero: out (oblique), Jalen Suggs: out (back), Anthony Black: day to day (back), Franz Wagner: out (oblique), Moritz Wagner: out for season (knee).

Jazz: Jordan Clarkson: day to day (plantar ), Taylor Hendricks: out for season (fibula).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.