Cold Cases in Utah
ColdCaseIndex documents 11 cold cases in Utah, spanning 1985–2023. 4 of these cases remain fully unsolved. Each case page includes documented details, status, and information on how to submit a tip.
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Ruby Franke Children
YouTube parenting vlogger Ruby Franke and therapist Jodi Hildebrandt were convicted of aggravated child abuse after Ruby's emaciated, bound son escaped to a neighbor's home.
Eric Richins
Kouri Richins poisoned her husband Eric with a lethal dose of fentanyl in a Moscow Mule cocktail. She then wrote a children's book about grief. She was convicted of murder.
Moab Incident (Petito-Laundrie)
Moab police responded to a domestic violence call involving Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie but separated them for the night rather than making an arrest. An independent review found failures.
Macin Smith
Seventeen-year-old Macin Smith left his St. George, Utah home on the first day of school and vanished. Surveillance showed him walking into the desert. He has never been found.
Susan Cox Powell
Susan Powell disappeared from her West Valley City, Utah home. Her husband Josh claimed he went camping with their sons in freezing weather that night. Josh was never charged but later killed himself and both sons in a 2
Susan Powell
Susan Powell vanished from her West Valley City, Utah home while her husband Josh claimed to have taken their two young sons camping at night in freezing temperatures. Josh Powell moved to Washington and later killed him
Lori Hacking
Lori Hacking was murdered by her husband Mark after she discovered he had lied about being accepted to medical school. He disposed of her body in a dumpster.
Elizabeth Smart
Fourteen-year-old Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her Salt Lake City bedroom by Brian David Mitchell and his wife. She was held captive for nine months, often in plain sight. She was rescued after being recognized in p
Kiplyn Davis
Kiplyn Davis, 15, vanished from her Spanish Fork, Utah high school in 1995. Several classmates were later convicted of perjury for lying about her disappearance, and one, Timmy Olsen, was convicted of manslaughter in 201
Sheree Warren
Sheree Warren, a 25-year-old credit union employee and mother from Roy, Utah, vanished on October 2, 1985, after leaving her workplace in Salt Lake City, telling a coworker she planned to meet her estranged husband at a
Steve Christensen & Kathy Sheets
Two people were killed by mail bombs in Salt Lake City — Steve Christensen at his office and Kathy Sheets at her home. The next day, the bomber Mark Hofmann was seriously injured when one of his own bombs exploded. Hofma