A man's tongue was found lying on rocks at a West Valley City crime scene more than a month ago, and police still don't know who he is or where he went. The assault happened near 1800 West and 3900 South on September 5, when officers responded to a reported fight and instead found blood on the asphalt, large rocks scattered across the sidewalk, and a severed human tongue — but no victim.
A Brutal Beating, A Vanishing Victim
According to court documents cited by KSL, a witness told police that five males held down another man and beat him with rocks, striking and kicking him before a witness spotted the severed tongue nearby and identified it as belonging to the victim. Police believe the victim is a Hispanic man in his early 20s with short black hair, standing roughly 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-10 and weighing about 150 pounds. He is missing a significant portion of his tongue, but he fled the area before officers arrived, and investigators still had not located or identified him as of Monday.
Per the search warrant affidavit, the rocks found scattered on the sidewalk and asphalt were identified by a witness as the ones used in the assault, and blood was found pooled on the pavement near where the tongue was discovered. Witnesses reported that the group of men ran to a red car immediately after the attack and drove off. One of the men reportedly held a knife during the incident, and a second man was seen with a bloody head, according to the same affidavit. No arrests have been made as of Monday.
Why Finding Him Matters — Fast
Investigators called hospitals throughout the surrounding area to ask whether anyone had come in for treatment of a severed tongue, but none reported treating such a patient, according to the affidavit — leaving the victim's identity and health condition unknown. That gap is medically significant: research published in the Journal of Reconstructive Microsurgery Open notes that fewer than 10 successful microvascular tongue replantations have ever been documented worldwide, given how delicate the tongue's blood vessels are. With no hospital reporting treatment and more than a month having passed, the victim's identity and health condition remain unknown.
A Serious Felony Charge Awaits Suspects
Under Utah Code Section 76-5-105, intentionally cutting out or disabling a person's tongue is explicitly defined as mayhem, a second-degree felony distinct from standard assault charges, according to the Utah State Legislature. Investigators also obtained a formal search warrant and canvassed hospitals in connection with the case.
Community Context and the Search for Answers
The assault occurred in West Valley City. Census data also shows that 43.3% of the city's population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, the largest single ethnic group in the municipality — a demographic detail that aligns with police descriptions of the victim. Research from the University of Utah's Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute notes that West Valley City was the first major Utah municipality where racial and ethnic minorities became the overall population majority, according to reporting from KSL.
Roxeanne Vainuku serves as the Deputy Director of Communications and primary spokesperson for the West Valley City Police Department. Group assaults involving multiple suspects are not unheard of in the region; KSL reporting on the Salt Lake Area Gang Project cites 50 identified gangs in Salt Lake County and an estimate of 1,300 juvenile gang members, offering broader context for multi-suspect violent incidents in the area, though no gang connection has been established in this case. Investigators have not said whether the red car the attackers fled in left the county.
Anyone with information about the assault or the identity of the victim is asked to call West Valley City police at 801-840-4000. With the victim still unaccounted for and no arrests made, the case remains open more than a month after the attack was first reported.
