Police in Utah are investigating the brutal stabbing that killed a woman last week while she was working at a massage parlor.
On Jan. 4, officers were called to A+ Massage in the Salt Lake City suburb of Midvale, where they found a deceased woman, whom they described as a victim of a brutal and tragic homicide.
Authorities identified the woman as Yuping Jiao, 45, a Chinese immigrant and massage therapist at the parlor.
Jiao was brutally attacked and the stabbed multiple times between the hours of 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Jiao was working alone at the time of the killing and a motive for the violence remains unclear.
“The circumstances surrounding this heinous crime are deeply concerning. At this time we have no set suspect and we are asking the public to please step forward with any information they may have that could help us solve this murder case,” authorities stated.
Police didn’t release details about the people they believe could have ties to Yuping’s stabbing.
It wasn’t clear if any of those persons of interest included the two individuals detectives spoke to early in the investigation, interviews which required a Mandarin Chinese interpreter.
With no known suspects, and no known motive, police to issue a warning to massage spas in the vicinity.
“In light of this disturbing incident, we urge individuals working in similar occupations to exercise extreme caution when dealing with clients and report any suspicious interactions, whether past or current, to the local authorities,” police said. “Your cooperation is crucial in maintaining community safety.“
Police didn’t indicate if they believed the stabbing was a random act of violence, a possible hate crime, a crime of passion, or something else entirely.
It’s still unknown who found Yuping and contacted police.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Unified Police Department dispatch at (801)-840-4000 and reference case number 24-1164, or email Sgt. Allen at [email protected] or Detective Moore at [email protected].
