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ST. GEORGE — A St. George man accused of forcefully taking a woman and her three children told them he was taking them to Oregon and that they would soon be going to heaven, according to police.
David Gene Remley, 36, was charged Wednesday in 5th District Court with three counts of child kidnapping and aggravated kidnapping, first-degree felonies; unauthorized possession of a vehicle, a third-degree felony; and assault, a class B misdemeanor.
On Aug. 14, Brittany Etta Deal, 27, was hospitalized following a fight with Remley, her boyfriend. Remley head-butted Deal, causing her to lose consciousness, according to charging documents. Deal had a protective order against Remley at the time that was issued on June 29 due to a prior domestic violence incident. He was charged on Aug. 16 with six felony crimes in connection to that incident, including aggravated assault.
On Aug. 20, St. George police were called back to Deal's home to conduct a welfare check.
"It was discovered that Brittany and her children were unaccounted for, and Brittany's phone was turned off and her front door was open to her house," according to an affidavit filed Wednesday in support of an arrest warrant for Remley.
Because of the circumstances, Deal and her three children — ages 2, 5 and 9 — were listed as "missing and endangered." The children were last seen being picked up from a St. George day care center about 5:15 p.m. by Remley. By Aug. 20, police classified their investigation as a possible kidnapping.
"I received multiple tips from friends and family of Brittany who stated that David had made several comments that he wanted to take Brittany and her children to Oregon," police wrote in the affidavit.
Just before 2 p.m. on Aug. 20, the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office in Nevada located Remley near Battle Mountain and arrested him and said Deal and the children were safe.
When detectives interviewed Deal on Aug. 22, she explained how she had been dating Remley for about five months and that he "was very controlling from the beginning of their relationship by dictating how and when she worked. He also took her car keys and would hide her cellphone, making it difficult for Brittany to perform her daily tasks. David would tell Brittany jokingly that if she ever decided to move on (break up with him and start a new relationship), he would kill her and bury her in the desert, which Brittany did not consider to be a joke," the affidavit states.
Deal also talked about multiple incidents of domestic violence committed by Remley, according to the affidavit, and how "she had to lie" if police were called.
"Brittany said that she would listen to him out of fear. He would also prevent her from attending court with the intent to have any criminal charges against him dropped. Brittany stated that she feared David and wanted to break up with him, but he would not allow it. Brittany said that David claimed that her children were his and that he would become furious with her if she said otherwise," according to the affidavit.
Deal also stated that on Aug. 19, "David had accused her of cheating on him, which was the catalyst of most of the violence, but now he was accusing her of working with the cops," court documents state. She told police that Remley took her to a St. George hotel that day and assaulted her.
After he picked up her children, Remley allegedly told Deal and her kids that they were "going for a drive."
"Brittany stated that she had a very bad feeling, and she attempted to contact her mother. David would not allow her to use her phone and told her that she had to turn off all cellphones and put them away. One cellphone was left on that was used as a GPS, but he deleted all social media apps and messaging apps on the phone, and he kept it in his sight/control at all times," according to the affidavit.
Remley later allegedly told Deal that he was taking her to Oregon and going "way off the grid."
"David told her that she did not need her family or friends and that he and God were the only (people) that she needed," the affidavit states. "Brittany stated that she became very fearful when David told her and her children 'to not worry because they would all be going to heaven soon,' and he would point his finger toward the sky."
Deal believed she was going to die and tried to escape multiple times, but "decided that her best option was to go along with David to stop the continuous fighting because it was affecting the kids and to wait for a better opportunity to get help," she told police.
Prosecutors are now seeking to have Remley extradited back to Utah to face his new criminal charges.
Domestic violence resources
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition: Utah's confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
- Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
