This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
During a nearly five-hour car ride back to Ogden from a camping trip in Idaho, Sawyer Wilson couldn't tell her cousin what she knew - that her cousin's mother was dead.
Her grandparents had called to say something had happened to Wilson's aunt, but her family wanted to wait until they were home to tell her cousin.
"She couldn't believe her mom was gone," Wilson said.
The Ogden City Fire Department found a body burned virtually beyond recognition at 464 W. 600 South shortly after a fire was put out around 3 a.m. Sunday.
Although police haven't identified the victim, Wilson said it was her aunt, Teresa Axbom.
Police are using dental records to make a positive identification, according to lead detective Sgt. Kyle Bosgieter, who said partial autopsy results show the victim died of "sharp-force trauma" to the back of the head and neck.
There are five to seven persons of interest who are being interviewed, but there are no suspects yet and no motive has been determined, he said.
Axbom's body was found lying face down on the first floor of the east-side unit of a duplex, according to Deputy Fire Chief Dave Owens.
No cause has been determined for the fire, according to Owens, but residents in the area suspect it was a cover-up for the death. They suspect the home was one of many "tweaker houses" in the neighborhood.
After the fire Sunday, some neighbors made a cardboard sign and taped it to the garage door. It read, "Crack house out of business. Sorry for the inconvenience," according to Krissy Lawrence, who lives down the street.
The poster made it to the evening news - and to Axbom's family, who went to the duplex to remove that sign.
A crowd gathered around the house, according to Justin Simons, who lives across the street from Axbom. Simons said he and his family stayed inside, but could hear shouting and swearing until the police arrived and broke up the crowd.
"They're nice people, though," Simons said. "I really don't have anything bad to say about them."
Although he didn't know Axbom well, Simons said, he sometimes talked with her nephew who was living with her, Wilson's brother.
Lawrence said the poster, which a few of her six children helped color, was not meant to disrespect Axbom.
"We felt like it was a very important statement," she said. "We're sick of raising our kids in this neighborhood. We don't want crack in our neighborhood."
Police did investigate Axbom's unit last month, according to Ogden police Lt. Mark Acker. He said one woman was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, and a man was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia and an outstanding arrest warrant. He said the names of the two would not be disclosed due to investigation.
Lawrence said she feels the neighborhood is too dangerous and she's trying to move out of her duplex.
And so was Axbom, Wilson said.
She said her aunt had an ex-boyfriend who did drugs and would bring other drug-users to the duplex. But her aunt was trying to get out of that environment, Wilson said.
She said her cousin was Axbom's primary focus and her aunt loved to go to her cousin's basketball and softball games.
"She was a family person," Wilson said, her voice breaking. "She was a good person trying to take care of herself and her child."
Bosgieter asked that anyone with information about the case contact the police at 801-629-8221.