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Most people who lived in Utah 25 years ago will never forget the name Rachel Runyan.
Her random kidnapping in broad daylight from a school playground adjacent to her home in Sunset left an entire state on edge. The discovery of her naked, hog-tied body 24-days later in Morgan County was the worst possible news. The fact that her killer has never been formally identified and held accountable is terribly upsetting and disappointing.
Remember, she was only three years old.
It is good to learn the case is being reopened. Investigators are hopeful fresh eyes looking at the evidence, along with new forensic techniques and a $53,000 reward will result in an arrest and eventual conviction of the sorry soul who did the deed.
Meantime, the memory of Rachel Runyan lives on in efforts to protect other children from similar fates. In 2002, Utah established the "Rachel Alert" system to mobilize law enforcement and the public when children go missing. Later, it became "Amber Alert" to conform to a national program.
Rachel Runyan's case forever changed the way law enforcement and the public approach cases of missing children. In KSL's view, it is timely and fitting that a renewed effort be undertaken to solve her disturbing murder.
