Utah woman, 26, is found murdered days after her mother warned that she had been abducted by a random couple who threatened to kill her

A Utah woman was found murdered just days after her mother warned that she had been kidnapped by a couple who were holding her hostage and threatening to kill her.  

Stevie Shay Wilkerson was reported missing in St George on August 9 and her body was recovered about an hour away in Iron County two weeks later on August 23. 

One day after Stevie vanished, her mother, Vawna Wilkerson, issued a desperate plea on Facebook claiming that the 26-year-old had been 'abducted taken against her own will'.

Vawna went on to say that her daughter was 'being held hostage by a man calling himself Joey and a woman calling herself Jose', who Stevie 'accidentally crossed paths with' at a hotel. 

'Please help me find my beautiful baby girl... they are armed and have threatened to kill her,' the mother wrote in all caps. 

Stevie Shay Wilkerson was found murdered in Utah just days after her mother Vawna Wilkerson warned that her daughter had been kidnapped by a couple who were holding her hostage and threatening to kill her

Stevie was reported missing in St George on August 9 and her body was recovered about an hour away in Iron County two weeks later on August 23. Police said her death is considered a homicide but have not released the cause

One day after Stevie vanished, her mother Vawna issued a desperate plea on Facebook warning that the 26-year-old had been 'abducted taken against her own will'. Police have not commented on Vawna's claims

Stevie was last seen on August 9 as she left a Claridge Inn on South Bluff Street in St George, according to local police. 

She was found in neighboring Iron County 14 days later, and authorities said her body had been there 'for some time'. 

The Iron County Sheriff's Office said detectives are treating the case as a homicide but declined to offer any additional information as the investigation is ongoing.  

An autopsy is underway to determine the cause of death.  

Police have yet to make any arrests in the case and have asked anyone with information to contact the Iron County Sheriff's Office at 435-867-7500.

Officials have not commented publicly about the claims Vawna presented in her Facebook post after Stevie disappeared. 

In the comments section of the post, Vawna expressed frustration with the investigation prior to Stevie's body being found.

'I don't think they are even doing anything,' she wrote on August 11. 'They quit keeping in touch with us yesterday...' 

In another comment, Vawna claimed that the couple who took her daughter were wanted for kidnapping in other states. 

She also wrote that the police, Stevie's boyfriend and staff at the hotel where she disappeared were refusing to give her descriptions of the people she claimed abducted her daughter.  

Police have asked anyone with information about Stevie's disappearance or death to contact the Iron County Sheriff's Office at 435-867-7500

Stevie's cousin, Angie Golish, expressed her heartbreak at the body discovery in an interview with the Deseret News.  

Golish described Stevie as an animal lover with 'a big heart, not a mean bone in her body'.

'She was just sweet and a little shy,' the cousin said. 'She was so kindhearted and loved all animals, big and small. She dreamed of being a veterinarian growing up.'   

'My aunt said it feels extra tragic that she would die this way because she was truly a person who wouldn't hurt anyone or anything,' Golish added in apparent reference to Vawna.   

Stevie worked as a quality control inspector at Megapro Screen Printing in St George, according to her Facebook profile.  

In her final post on June 26, she asked for help finding an apartment to rent with her boyfriend and dog, Niko.  

Stevie's cousin, Angie Golish, described her as an animal lover with 'a big heart, not a mean bone in her body'. Stevie is pictured with her dog Niko