A woman and her dog in Utah have died in a fire after the woman's boyfriend allegedly locked them in a storage unit.
Police in Salt Lake county made the grisly discovery on Saturday (February 25) and a 30-year-old man, Alexander Wardell, was subsequently arrested and detained in jail on kidnapping and negligent homicide charges, PEOPLE detailed.
KSL-TV reported that a car wash close to CubeSmart Self Storage in Murray - in which the woman was locked with her dog - and called emergency services. When they arrived on the scene, they discovered six units on fire. "They just looked outside the window, and saw all the smoke coming up. And so they just decided to call the fire department, since no one was there yet," a man working at the carwash told the news outlet.
The body of the woman - who was identified as 27-year-old Morgan Kay Harris - was sadly discovered by authorities alongside her pet dog Huck. Surveillance footage showed a man "coming over the fence" and leaving the scene shortly after the fire broke out.
ABC4 detailed that Wardell had a lengthy history of domestic violence, which reportedly dates as far back as 2013. In fact, he has been convicted of domestic violence incidents on more than one occasion.
A warrant for his arrest was issued last Thursday (February 23) after he violated probation, though he ended up paying a $5,000 bond and was eventually released, per KUTV.
A GoFundMe has since been started by Morgan's family to pay for funeral costs and other various expenses.
The description for the fundraiser reads: "Morgan was locked in a storage unit by her boyfriend and died in a subsequent fire. Morgan's boyfriend has been arrested. It has been an extremely difficult year [...]. All help will be greatly appreciated!"
An investigation into the fire is underway and Morgan's boyfriend has been named as a suspect.
"Thank you so much for your generosity and supportive words. Not having the stress of finances does help us deal with the tragedy somewhat. We are also trying to make a difference in how the legal system handles violent criminals- so that innocent people like Morgan may be saved. I so appreciate every dollar and every word," Morgan's mom Laurice wrote on the fundraiser, which has received close to $18,500 of its $30,000 goal.
Morgan, a former model, had desperately wanted to be a mom but wasn't able to have a child of her own, according to her obituary. She became a medical assistant and was described as: "Shy and the most gentle, kind, peace-making soul by everyone who knew her. She was artistic, liked to be informed on current issues, thought deeply and conversed about many subjects."
Her memorial is set to take place on Saturday, March 4, in Saint George, Utah.
