Woman found dead in Utah home day after filing for divorce
Authorities say the case remains under active investigation with identities not yet officially released
A 43-year-old Utah woman was found dead in what authorities are investigating as a suspected murder-suicide just one day after she filed for divorce, according to police and court records cited by multiple outlets.
The Herriman City Police Department responded to a welfare check at a home in Herriman, Utah, on Friday, April 17, where officers discovered the bodies of a woman and a man.
Police said the woman appeared to have died from blunt force trauma, while the man’s death appeared to be self-inflicted.
Authorities said the man did not reside at the home where the bodies were found. Investigators have not yet publicly released the identities of either individual, and the case remains under active investigation.
However, family friends identified the woman as Lindha Paola Zerpa Lara, a mother and beauty entrepreneur originally from Venezuela.
She was the owner of a Salt Lake City-based business, Pao Glow & Beauty, and had moved to the United States around eight years ago, according to local reports.
Friends told KSL-TV that Lara was the mother of a 10-year-old child and had been planning to meet her estranged husband on the day she was killed.
It remains unclear whether the man found dead at the scene is the same individual referenced in the divorce proceedings.
Court records reviewed by People show that a person with the same name as Lara filed for divorce in Utah’s Third Judicial District Court in Salt Lake County on Thursday, April 16, just one day before her death.
Police have not confirmed any direct link between the divorce filing and the deaths, but the timing has raised questions among those close to the case.
Friends described Lara as a deeply community-oriented person and a devoted mother.
“She was a bright light to her mom,” one friend said, adding that she was known for supporting her local Venezuelan community and striving to help others.
They also confirmed that Lara’s child was not at the residence at the time of the incident.
As investigators continue to piece together the circumstances surrounding the deaths, authorities have urged patience while forensic examinations and official identifications are completed.