Kayelyn Louder mourned at candlelight vigil

Murray • Minda Birkinshaw never met Kayelyn Louder but spent weeks looking for her after she learned the 30-year-old woman had disappeared.

After seeing a missing poster, Birkinshaw said she felt a connection with Louder, who was about her age and lived in her Murray neighborhood.

"I felt I had to help," she said.

On Thursday night, Birkinshaw joined a few hundred people at a candlelight vigil in Murray Park to honor Louder, who had gone missing in September.

Louder's body was found Monday in the Jordan River in West Valley City during an inspection of drainage pipes. Medical examiners identified the body in an autopsy Tuesday afternoon.

Investigators have not determined how she ended up in the water near 3300 South and 1200 West.

At the vigil, Louder's cousin, Amy Fugal, thanked the volunteers who had searched for the missing woman.

"I know that she's touched you," Fugal said. "We loved Kayelyn. Thank you for coming and celebrating her amazing life."

She added that Louder was "the best friend anyone could have."

Ginger Paris, who had known Louder for two years, called her a "beautiful young lady."

"She touched a lot of lives," Paris said. "We loved her."

Louder left her condo barefoot Sept. 27 and walked into the rain, leaving behind her beloved dog, her phone, her keys and car. Earlier that day and the night before, Louder had placed mysterious 911 calls, first reporting a fight at a wedding and then reporting an intruder was in her apartment. Police said they found no evidence of either crime.

Before she disappeared, Louder was seen on surveillance video talking agitatedly, apparently to herself, investigators have said. However, police said, she had no known history of mental illness.

Louder's friends and family members rallied scores of volunteers to search for her. Many were strangers who put in countless hours.

"We would just come whenever we were available," said Billie Oliver, who lives in Holladay.

Nina Olson, of Lehi, heard about Louder's disappearance while she was vacationing in Arizona and joined the effort as soon as she returned.

"We all grouped together and came up with ideas where to look," she said of the searchers.

Now that her cousin has been found, Fugal said, "the next step is to lay her to rest, to celebrate her life and to mourn."

Family members also want to learn how Louder died and are waiting for toxocology reports, she said. Authorities have said there were no gunshot or stab wounds, Fugal said.

pmanson@sltrib.com

Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC