Officials are investigating allegations of a third domestic violence incident involving “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” stars Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen, a police spokesman told NBC News on Tuesday.
Mortensen contacted the West Jordan, Utah, Police Department last month with allegations of domestic violence against Paul stemming from an incident in 2024, the spokesman said, adding that he could not provide further details, citing the open investigation.
He said the department is reviewing multiple videos connected to the alleged event to figure out details and timelines. The spokesman said he could not share the exact dates of the 2024 incident.
Police have only Mortensen’s account of the alleged 2024 incident, the spokesman said.
The police department has not yet spoken to Paul, but investigators have spoken with her attorney, the spokesman said. Investigators would like Paul to either submit a written statement or come in for an interview to help corroborate some of the details in Mortensen’s report, the spokesman said.
Representatives for both Paul and Mortensen declined to comment.
When Mortensen first called, the West Jordan spokesman said, he told officials that he was referred to the West Jordan Police Department by the Draper Police Department because of the jurisdiction of the 2024 incident.
Draper police told NBC News that a separate open domestic violence investigation into Paul and Mortensen, with allegations on both sides, was called in on Feb. 24 and Feb. 25.
Draper police declined to share further details.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sam Gill said in a statement Tuesday that his office “requested all the investigative material to screen the most recent allegations for charges” and confirmed that his office was looking into a case submitted by Draper police.
Gill added in the statement: “We made the request because of the potential that if charges are filed, they could be enhanced due to a prior plea in abeyance to a domestic violence offense.”
Court records indicate that Paul pleaded guilty in abeyance to an aggravated assault charge in August 2023 that stemmed from a February 2023 domestic violence incident.
Four other charges in that case — including assault, criminal mischief and domestic violence in the presence of a child — were dismissed with prejudice, the records show.
The bodycam video of the 2023 arrest was shown on the first episode of “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” — the Hulu reality series that elevated Paul from her “MomTok” online community to a household name.
TMZ published video Thursday that appeared to show Paul attacking Mortensen and reportedly portrayed the incident in which Paul was arrested in 2023, according to TMZ. That video led to ABC’s decision to pull Paul’s season of “The Bachelorette,” which was supposed to premiere Sunday.
Last week, a spokesperson for Paul said she “is very grateful for ABC’s support as she prioritizes her family’s safety and security.”
“After years of silently suffering extensive mental and physical abuse as well as threats of retaliation, Taylor is finally gaining the strength to face her accuser and taking steps to ensure that she and her children are protected from any further harm,” the spokesperson continued.
Reached for comment Thursday, Paul said: “I will have my truth.”
Filming for Season Five of “Mormon Wives” has been on pause amid new reports of a domestic violence investigation. One source said the cast unanimously decided to pause filming until legal action played out. That was after Hulu executives witnessed cast members on “Mormon Wives” discussing allegations of domestic violence during filming, the source said.
Cast members on “Mormon Wives” also raised concerns to ABC executives about Paul’s behavior before the reports of a new domestic violence incident emerged, according to audio of a call between the cast and the executives on March 7, which was shared with NBC News.
In a “Call Her Daddy” interview with Alex Cooper, released on Wednesday but recorded on Friday, “Mormon Wives” co-star Jessi Draper said she wouldn’t judge Paul in her “darkest moment” but admitted the newly released video was “so hard” to watch.
“It’s just…there’s so much pain underneath the surface for Taylor. And I tell her this all the time, it’s not who Taylor is,” Draper said through tears.
“She got caught in a really bad cycle and just seeing that video —yes, the child being involved is awful — and everyone involved is really hard,” Draper added. “But Taylor is such a good person, and she’s made some mistakes, and so is Dakota, and I’m not saying any of it is right…I want this to be a wake-up call for them.”
Season Four of “Mormon Wives” premiered on March 12.
Amid ABC’s shocking cancellation of Taylor Frankie Paul’s “Bachelorette” season, questions are looming over whether ABC could pursue legal action against her or whether she could go after them. NBC legal analyst Misty Marris breaks down the possibilities, including the custody situation surrounding mom-of-three Taylor.
