By Kelly Roy King
A Springville man is dead and his wife is in serious condition July 10 after a domestic dispute between the couple on the evening of July 9.
Springville officer Lt. Dave Caron said Karrie Chatwin, 28, ran to a neighbor’s house with multiple stab wounds and called 911 at about 6:00 p.m.
Chatwin told officers she had been stabbed and her husband was going to harm her 5-year-old daughter.
Chatwin suffered stab wounds to the abdomen and chest, and cuts to the hand, Caron said.
When officers arrived, they went to the mobile home at 850 N. Main St. and heard an odd noise coming from inside the trailer, Caron said.
Officers felt heat coming from inside the trailer and realized the trailer had burst into flames, Caron said.
Firefighters contained the fire and found a man’s body close to a doorway, Caron said.
Caron said the preliminary report from the medical examiner indicated that the individual was alive during the fire and suffered from smoke inhalation. The full report with cause of death will be available later this week.
The coroner hasn’t positively identified the body, but police believe the victim is Chatwin’s husband, Caron said.
Chatwin’s daughter was safe at a family reunion with her grandmother, Caron said.
The fire was apparently started by an accelerant placed is different locations around the home Caron said.
He said the home is a total loss.
Domestic violence is on the rise according to the Utah State Domestic Violence 1999 Annual Report.
The report states that domestic violence assaults have increased from 2,456 in 1997, to 3,235 in 1998.
In 1998, there were reported injuries in 45 percent of the domestic violence cases reported.
