Ogden, Utah is not immune to crime, and the city has seen its share of disappearances and homicides. Over the years, the Ogden Police Department has looked into various incidents of missing persons and homicide. Nonetheless, many of these instances are still unsolved.
There were 279 cases of missing persons reported in Ogden between 1980 and 2020, as recorded by the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification. Two hundred and fifty were located, leaving 29 unsolved cases. Seventy homicides were also reported at same time in Ogden. By 2020, 48 of these cases will have been closed while 22 will still be unsolved.
According to the data, there are still a significant number of unsolved cold cases in Ogden. The effects on families and the society are substantial, and these cases do not close until they are handled. In each instance, we honor a person who was dearly loved and will be sorely lost.
Unsolved crimes are the focus of the Ogden Police Department's Cold Case Unit. The unit is manned by seasoned detectives who dedicate themselves fully to bringing closure to victims' loved ones. Cases involving murder, disappearance, or identification of remains that have not been resolved after at least a year are prioritized by this team.
DNA analysis, fingerprint and ballistics testing, and re-interviews with witnesses are only some of the methods used by the Cold Case Unit to uncover the truth in these situations. The detectives in the team are frequently tasked with reopening cases in order to reexamine evidence and re-examine witness testimony that were initially disregarded. They also employ public outreach strategies like social media to find new leads and tips from the general public.
Some long-cold cases in Ogden have been solved in the past few years. The defendant in a homicide case from 1976 was apprehended in 2018 by the Cold Case Unit; he had been residing in California under an assumed name. The crew tracked down and apprehended the fugitive who had been living in Texas since the murders occurred in 1998.