This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
One mystery ended Saturday when North Ogden police confirmed the body they discovered earlier this week is that of 16-year-old Alexis Rasmussen, who had been missing since Sept. 10.
But there was still no explanation of what killed the teenager.
"The circumstances surrounding her disappearance and the discovery of her body certainly suggest that we are dealing with a homicide," Weber County Attorney Dee Smith said. "At the same time, we're real early into this for me to say with any confidence what took place."
Eric and Dea Millerberg, who were with Alexis on the last night she was seen, remained in the Weber County jail Saturday on unrelated charges. Smith and North Ogden police spokesman Paul Rhoades declined to discuss the couple.
Rhoades said detectives received word from the Utah State Medical Examiner's Office late Friday that fingerprints and dental records had definitively determined the body found in rural Morgan County on Tuesday did indeed belong to Alexis.
Alexis' aunt, Tammy Reed, said police officers arrived at the home of the girl's mother about 4 p.m. Friday to deliver the news.
"We all had a gut feeling. But still when you actually get the confirmed news, it's devastating," Reed said. "We're all saddened. ... We want to know why and how and who."
Reed said police have not told the family the cause of death or even whether detectives believe Alexis was murdered.
Reed said the family has not yet discussed services for Alexis.
Police have said they discovered the body based on a tip from a confidential source they spoke with multiple times.
Alexis last was seen while baby-sitting for the Millerbergs, who live about a mile from her home. The teen's mother had given her permission to stay at the Millerbergs' home that night because it was late. The couple said that between 11 p.m. and midnight, Alexis told them she was leaving to meet a friend at one of the area schools, police have said.
Alexis' parents called police about 24 hours after their daughter didn't return home on the night of Sept. 11, explaining that although she had run away previously she had always let her mother know she was safe.
"It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we make this announcement. This is certainly not the outcome we were hoping for," Rhoades stated on Saturday. "We also offer our thoughts and prayers to Alexis' many friends and loved ones. All indications are that Alexis was a very outgoing and loving person."
Rhoades also expressed "gratitude for the way this community and the residents throughout northern Utah have rallied together to help find Alexis. The many tips and other information provided to police continue to help investigators create a clearer picture of Alexis' final days and of the events which led up to this tragic outcome."
What that picture of Alexis' finals days looked like was something police kept close to their vests on Saturday.
However, Rhoades did acknowledge that information gathered so far has "led us to direct more and more time and resources toward looking into the possibility that Alexis' disappearance was criminal in nature. Our investigation continues into determining the cause of Alexis' death, and into determining who was responsible and why this tragedy occurred."
Rhoades also conveyed a request from Alexis' family to be "allowed the privacy they need at this time as they continue to cope with what has happened to their loved one, and that they be allowed to grieve peacefully."
Police first alerted the media of the disappearance on Sept. 23, saying the girl had a history of running away.
Bonnie Cain, a family friend and a neighbor of the Millerbergs, has said she confronted Dea Millerberg about a week after Alexis' disappearance to ask what happened that night. Cain said Dea Millerberg told her she picked up Alexis from a party in Pleasant View earlier that night to watch her kids at her house. During the evening, Dea Millerberg took her to a pharmacy in Layton, while the husband watched the children.
When they got home the couple went to sleep. About a half-hour later Dea Millerberg said Alexis woke the couple and said a friend had offered her a ride home. That was the last anyone heard from her.
Dea Millerberg was charged on Oct. 7 with two counts of prescription fraud, both third-degree felonies.
Eric Millerberg on Oct. 3 was found to be in violation of the terms of his probation in connection with a 2010 credit card fraud case.
North Ogden police urged anyone with inquiries concerning the case, including questions as to case status and possible suspects, to call the Weber County Attorney's Office at 801-399-8377.
Rasmussen family statement:
"Our beautiful Alexis is sadly gone. Our family has endured a catastrophe, one that has changed each of us in ways that are far beyond words. Alexis touched so many people in the past fifty days, just as she did in the time she was here. Life will never be the same. Now sadly we mourn for the loss of our baby girl, as a family we will slowly try to heal, knowing we will never fully recover. The family wishes to thank each of you for your support, love and effort, to help keep Alexis' beautiful face out there, in hopes that she would come home safely. This has been such a traumatic event, and loss. The prayers, thoughts, love and support we have received from around the world are embedded in our hearts. Please allow the family the privacy we need and deserve so that we may begin the grieving and healing process. Alexis' light will continue to shine!"
— Peace and Love,
Alexis Rasmussen Family