Family of man found in Jordan River ask for answers about who killed him

Salt Lake City, Utah — According to Salt Lake City police, an autopsy revealed Joseph Salas, 49, suffered serious trauma to his body before he was discovered dead in the Jordan River in Salt Lake City last month.

Investigators and Salas’ family are asking for the public’s help to figure out who killed him and why.

“I have no clue why anyone would want to harm him or take him away from us,” Salas’ daughter, Alexia, told 2News.

Salt Lake City police said Salas’ death is being investigated as a homicide.

“Time is of the essence. The faster we can find those clues and leads, the better those leads usually are,” Sgt. Keith Horrocks said.

Salas’ body was found floating in the river near North Temple on June 9.

“Given the fact, the body was found in the river, most likely the body was dumped there,” private investigator Jason Jensen told 2News. “The popular myth is that by dumping a body in a river you can also eliminate any DNA, but with recent advances in technology, that’s no longer the case.”

Police are asking anyone with information about the days leading up to Salas’ death to report that information to detectives by calling 801-799-3000 and referencing case 21-99152.

“You took our grandpa away from my kids and my brother’s kids. There’s not much that we can do about it except pray and hope that answers come,” Alexia said.