Decades-long cold case involving missing University of Utah student has been solved

SALT LAKE CITY — A cold case involving a missing University of Utah student was solved after decades of police investigation, the Univeristy of Utah announced on Tuesday.

The University of Utah Police Department has been investigating the disappearance of Douglas Brick, who walked out of his dorm at the university on Oct. 12, 1973, but never returned.

"For decades, after lost police records, unsuccessful searches and conflicting reports about Brick's last known whereabouts, his disappearance remained a mystery known only by an ever-shrinking circle of people who knew Brick as a brother, a friend, or a roommate," the university said in a press release.

A Case Reopened

With police records from 1973 long gone and no officers from that era available to provide insight, Maj. Heather Sturzenegger and her team faced an uphill battle.

"We can't find any of the officers or police records from 1973," Sturzenegger said.

Determined to find answers, investigators turned to cold case Facebook pages, where they uncovered a crucial lead — a sister living in California.

In 2022, U. police hired a crime data analyst to solve the case.

"I sent my detectives out to get a DNA sample," Sturzenegger explained. "She also had journals from her mother."

Despite their efforts, the DNA sample did not yield any matches, leaving the case cold once again. Months passed with no progress — until an unexpected conversation changed everything.

A chance encounter

While off duty, Sturzenegger struck up a conversation with her daughter's doctor, who revealed a shocking connection to the case.

"In 1973, my roommate went missing, and I was the one who reported him to police," the doctor recalled. "I (Sturzenegger) was flabbergasted."

The doctor provided detectives with valuable insight into Douglas Brick's life, even recounting his own search efforts in the hills behind the university.

Then, in October 2024, another breakthrough emerged. Hunters discovered a human skull near the summit of Black Mountain.

"The news article piqued my attention," Sturzenegger said. "We knew they were searching the mountains behind the U."

DNA confirms identity

Sturzenegger sent the skull fragments to an out-of-state lab specializing in extracting DNA from weathered bones. Just this month, the results came back.

"The DNA they were able to extract from the skull and the sister's DNA showed a 99.99% match," she confirmed.

After more than 50 years, Douglas Brick's family finally has closure. While the discovery is bittersweet, his loved ones said it is nothing short of a miracle.

"We thank the hunter who found him six months ago and reported it immediately, detective Jon Dial and Maj. Heather Sturzenegger, search and rescue volunteers, and all the individuals and agencies that were involved in this case," Brick's family said in a statement.

Sturzeneggar said she wanted to bring peace to the family.

"When we first opened the case in 2022, that was my goal — and we did. We were able to do that," she said.

According to the university, investigators discovered that Brick might have been depressed and possibly suicidal when he went missing.

One of the investigators said that every year, while at the university, Brick withdrew from all his classes one week before the end of the semester.

"We never stopped hoping for answers about Doug's disappearance," Brick's family said. "We are relieved to finally have some answers. After 52 years, this result, while sad, is nothing short of a miracle."

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