This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Almost a year after they disappeared, three Salt Lake City men are still missing.
Relatives of Danny Gallegos, 35, Levi Collins, 34, and Braden Emerson, 23, met with the Salt Lake City Police Department on Wednesday to review the status of the case. But Thursday morning, Detective Veronica Montoya said she could not discuss the details of the case's progress, except that officers are working with prosecutors.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill declined to comment about the case, except to say that his office is working with law enforcement on an open investigation.
Collins, Gallegos and Emerson were last seen on Oct. 31, 2014, in a Chevrolet Tahoe. Family members said the three friends had left to ride ATVs.
But the Tahoe was found abandoned on Nov. 3 in a secluded area of Salt Lake City's west side, near an irrigation canal in the area of 1700 West and 1500 South. Initially, the vehicle had been reported to animal control authorities because of a dog left inside.
Inside the vehicle, police found a large amount of blood, along with the dog, which was not injured.
An ATV the truck was hauling, along with its trailer, were later found at an unspecified auto shop, where it reportedly had been dropped off for repairs.
Gallegos had been under investigation by federal law officers and started cooperating last summer, according to a criminal complaint against a jeweler named Justin Christopher, an acquaintance of Gallegos.
The complaint charges Christopher with money laundering and conspiracy to launder money for allegedly helping Gallegos conceal his ownership of a Lamborghini, which was allegedly purchased with Gallegos' drug trafficking profits. Christopher told agents he knew Gallegos was a drug dealer, the complaint says.
The Lamborghini was purchased from Ararat Auto, whose owner told agents that Gallegos bought the car for $102,155.55, including taxes and fees but had Christopher's name placed on the title.
Christopher's three-day jury trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 16 in U.S. District Court.
SLCPD has asked that anyone with information on this case to call 801-799-3000, or anonymously text tips to 274637 with the keyword TIPSLCPD.
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