Court documents are revealing how police say they believe the wife of a Utah National Guardsman killed him and tried to cover up his death.
Matthew Johnson, age 51, was reported missing on Sept. 23 after he didn't show up to work at his Utah National Guard base. Police asked for the public's help andsaid his disappearance appeared suspicious. His truck was found a few blocks from his home in Cottonwood Heights, Utah.
Police determined that he was last seen on Sept. 20, and witnesses told investigators that Johnson and his wife had an argument sometime between Sept. 20 and Sept. 21. Cottonwood Heights Police also said officers had previously been called to the family's home, and they knew the couple was considering a divorce. They have three kids together.
The police department announced Wednesday that they arrested 41-year-old Jennifer Gledhill for murder and obstruction of justice.
According to the court documents, on Sept. 24 Jennifer came into the Cottonwood Heights Police Department to report an incident that occurred on or about September 20 or 21 between her and her estranged husband. The details of the incident aren't clear but Scripps News Salt Lake City requested more information.
It was on Sept. 28 when police came in contact with a confidential informant who reported speaking with Gledhill on Sept. 22. The informant claimed that Gledhill openly admitted to killing Johnson by shooting him in the head as he slept. Johnson was reportedly asleep on the mattress inside the master bedroom of the home they shared in Cottonwood Heights.
Gledhill would also reveal to the informant that she had removed Johnson's body and relocated his remains to a shallow grave at an undisclosed location. She also reported removing items from the home and destroying them to cover up the crime.
Investigators would obtain several search warrants and would serve them on electronic devices leading investigators to believe the remains of Johnson are at the same undisclosed location described by the informant. That location has not been released and police say Johnson's body has still not been found.
During the search of their shared home, investigators found a large blood-stained spot in the master bedroom carpet underneath the bed. Blood was also found on the bed frame slats, which supports what the informant told police. Police also say that evidence found at the scene supports that significant clean-up had taken place following the murder including bleaching of the walls, and using carpet cleaning supplies.
The mattress located in the bedroom was found to be a new one. Phone records of Gledhill's phone investigators say showed she had ordered a new mattress on September 24 and it arrived on Sept. 26.
Cottonwood Heights Police say that since Sept. 21 Johnson had no contact with anyone including his children and that his phone would simply go to voicemail. Johnson also never returned to work and left no evidence that would lead investigators to believe he was still alive. Due to those factors, investigators were comfortable saying that he was deceased.
Police asked the court to deny bail to Gledhill as under the charges she currently faces she could spend the rest of her life in prison. They add that the criminal informant was told by Gledhill that she would shoot herself before going to jail. The court agreed to deny her bail on Oct. 2.
"We want to express our heartfelt sympathy to the families, especially to the Johnson children. These unfortunate tragedies tear apart the fabric of our families," the Cottonwood Heights Police Department said in the announcement. "We extend our gratitude to our partners at the DA Office, State Crime Lab, and Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office for their efforts."
This story was originally published by Michael Martin and Spencer Burt at Scripps News Salt Lake City.
