In a quiet Salt Lake City neighborhood, the promising life of Sarah Hawley, a 27-year-old White/Caucasian female, was tragically cut short on January 27, 2019. A first-year family medicine resident at the University of Utah, she had recently moved from the San Francisco Bay Area with her boyfriend, 30-year-old Travis Geddes, to embark on the next chapter of her medical career.
Neighbors described the couple as seemingly happy, unaware of any turmoil that may have been brewing within the walls of their Sugar House home.
The evening of her death, a neighbor in the basement of their residence heard alarming sounds of a disturbance, including a woman screaming, and promptly called 911, suspecting a possible burglary. When Salt Lake City police officers arrived at the home on Ramona Avenue, they made a grim discovery. Inside, they found both Sarah Hawley and Travis Geddes deceased. Investigators quickly determined the incident was a murder-suicide.
The investigation concluded that Travis Geddes shot and killed Sarah Hawley before turning the gun on himself. No prior reports of domestic disturbances involving the couple were on record with the police, making the violent end to their lives a shock to those who knew them. The case was classified as a domestic-related murder-suicide, with Geddes as the sole suspect. Consequently, no arrests were made as the perpetrator had also died at the scene.
The news of Dr. Hawley's death sent shockwaves through the University of Utah community and beyond. Colleagues and mentors remembered her as a bright and adventurous spirit with a passion for providing medical care to underserved women and children. She was a graduate of the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and was already making a positive impact on her patients and peers. In the wake of the tragedy, vigils were held to honor her memory, and a fund was established in her name to support lectureships on topics she was passionate about, including women's health and pediatric care.
