Nearly six years after the body of a Tongan mother was found near Utah’s Great Salt Lake, her alleged murder remains unresolved, prompting continued calls for justice from her family and police investigators.
Forty‑two‑year‑old Akosita Kaufusi’s body was discovered on 29 August 2020, just off Frontage Road, approximately half a mile east of Saltair. Police believe she was killed at the same location about two weeks earlier, around 14 August 2020.
The family of the deceased offered a $100,000 reward in August 2024, marking the fourth anniversary of her alleged murder, for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible, as frustration continues to grow over the lack of progress in the case.
“We are still grieving,” her aunt, Lita Kaufusi-Ofa told KSL TV.
“We want answers. We want closure.”
Investigation Still Active
Unified Police Department detectives say the homicide investigation remains open.
Authorities have linked Kaufusi’s death to a shooting at the K&K African Market, located at 996 South Redwood Road, on August 9, 2020, just days before she is believed to have been killed.
“Based on the physical evidence, what we believe is that she was killed at that location,” said Detective Ken Hansen, spokesperson for Unified Police.
“We have not forgotten about this case.”
Despite the connection between the two incidents, no suspect has yet been named or arrested.
“We believe other people know about it,” Hansen said.
“We don’t know why they’re not talking.”
Family Desperate for Justice
For Kaufusi’s family, the lack of arrests has been deeply painful.
“We feel like it’s not a priority on the list, but we hope things will change,” Kaufusi-Ofa reportedly said.
On anniversaries marking her death, family members have returned to the remote location where her body was found, placing flowers to honour her life and to keep attention on the case.
The family’s newly announced $100,000 reward supplements a $5,000 reward previously offered by Unified Police for information leading to an arrest.
“You can’t put a price tag on a life,” Kaufusi-Ofa said. “And yet we have to, because we want answers. This person, or these persons, have ruined our family.”
The reward applies to information that results in the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
Remembering Akosita Kaufusi
Kaufusi was of Tongan and Ute heritage. Her father was Tongan, and her mother was a member of the Ute tribe, an Indigenous people recognised as among the earliest inhabitants of present‑day Colorado and Utah, with a history in the Rocky Mountains and Great Basin regions spanning thousands of years.
Her family has become strong supporters of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement, which highlights the disproportionately high rates of violence faced by Native American women across the United States.
“The biggest thing is that Akosita’s life mattered,” Kaufusi-Ofa said. “It mattered to her family, her village in Tonga, and her tribe.”
Call for Information
Police continue to urge anyone with information—no matter how small—to come forward.
“We don’t want this case left behind,” Hansen said. “This is an unresolved homicide.”
Anyone with information about Akosita Kaufusi’s death is encouraged to contact Unified Police at 801‑743‑7000.
Information can be provided anonymously.
