Pictured left: Riley Powell, age 18 (2017) Picture right: Brelynne “Breezy” Otteson, age 17 (2017)
Riley and Breezy met during the fall of 2017 and became a couple shortly thereafter. According to their family and friends, the two were in a loving relationship that appeared to bring positivity to both of their lives. Things moved fast for the teens—early into their relationship, Breezy moved in with Riley at his father’s home in Eureka, Utah. During the winter of 2017, Riley and Breezy were spending the holidays together for the first time. The couple had been spending time in Tooele, located roughly an hour away from Eureka, to celebrate the holidays with Breezy’s family. They decided to head back to Eureka for New Year’s Eve, and on December 30th, 2017, they left Tooele around 9am. Unfortunately, Breezy and Riley never made it home that day, nor did they show up to the New Year’s celebration the following day. After 72 hours with no sign of the couple, they were reported missing to the Juab County’s Sheriff Department.
While investigating the disappearance of the two teens, authorities found Facebook messages between Riley and a 34 year-old woman named Morgan Henderson that were exchanged on the day the couple vanished. When investigators interviewed Morgan, she told them that Riley and Breezy stopped by her home in Mammoth on their way back to Eureka. By her account, the two came over for marijuana, and they stayed for about 40 minutes before leaving. Investigators had no reason to doubt Morgan’s story, and at that time, they were still unsure if foul play was involved in Breezy and Riley’s disappearance.
On January 11th, 2018, members of the Juab County search and rescue team found Riley’s Jeep at the Cherry Creek Reservoir, located 14 miles away from the couple’s home in Eureka. The car was hidden in the bushes with the two back windows rolled down, and the two front tires slashed and deflated. By that point, investigators began to think that foul play did, in fact, play a role in the couple’s disappearance. Investigators turned their attention towards a man named Lee Shepherd, who happened to be the live-in boyfriend of Riley’s mother, Mistie Carlson. A witness claimed to have seen Riley’s Jeep being towed by a truck that matched the description of Lee’s truck on the day of the couple’s disappearance. Additionally, investigators found a portion of tow strap at Lee and Mistie’s home that looked close in “appearance and configuration” to another portion of a tow strap that was found attached Riley’s Jeep. Mistie denied any involvement in the disappearance of Riley and Breezy, and also stated that she did not believe that Lee was involved either. However, Lee apparently refused to be interviewed by the police. Many found this suspicious, as it seemed that Lee was hiding something. He was never officially named as a suspect, but due to his lack of cooperation, many believed he was involved in Riley and Breezy’s disappearance.
That changed on March 25th, 2018, when Morgan Henderson once again came into contact with the police. Oddly enough, it was initially unrelated to the investigation: she was pulled over for a routine traffic stop in SanPete County that resulted in her being arrested and charged as a felon with possession of controlled substances and dangerous weapons. While in police custody, Morgan confessed that her boyfriend, 41 year-old Jerrod Baum, had killed Riley and Breezy on the day they were last seen. She also told investigators where they could find their bodies: at the bottom of an abandoned mine shaft, located 22 miles away from where Riley’s Jeep was found.
When investigators asked why Jerrod had done this, Morgan said that Jerrod had warned her not to have male guests over without getting his approval first. On December 30th, Jerrod became irate when he discovered that she was hanging out with Riley and Breezy “without his permission.” Fueled by rage, Jerrod bound the victims' hands and feet, duct-taped their mouths, and placed them in the back of Riley's Jeep. Then, according to Morgan, Jerrod drove her and the two teens to the abandoned mineshaft, where the murders took place. Court documents containing Morgan’s official claim state the following: “Breezy was forced to kneel near the open mine pit and witness the beating of her boyfriend Riley Powell, and his stabbing, before she had her throat cut and was also thrown into the open mine.”
Two days after Morgan’s arrest, investigators recovered both Breezy and Riley’s remains from the mineshaft. Jerrod, was who was already in jail on unrelated charges, was charged with aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping and abuse of dead human body. Morgan was charged with obstruction of justice in their case. Both are yet to enter a plea, but are due back in court later this year.
