Douglas Brick, a former U student in Utah, was positively ID’d. He went missing over 50 years ago, and now his remains have been found. Brick, last seen on the 12th of October 1973, would have left his all male dormitory as a 23 year old senior. He flew down from his home of Pocatello, Idaho to Utah to audition.
Then in 2024, hunters stumbled upon some unidentified remains, including skull fragments, in the Wasatch foothills adjacent to campus. Prior to this, the University of Utah Police had designated Brick’s case their sole identified cold case. Acting on a tip, Nikol Mitchell, a crime data analyst at Utah’s Statewide Information and Analysis Center, reopened the investigation into his 2022 disappearance. This action followed years of stagnancy on the case.
Genetic analysis by a DNA testing lab proved that the skull pieces belonged to Douglas Brick. Jointly funded by the city and the EPA, this testing was carried out at an outside state lab. On April 30, the official announcement came, identifying him. This provided closure to a case that had gone cold for 40 years.
David Brick, Douglas’s brother, had for years pushed to have the case reopened, highlighting the need for DNA evidence. In a statement, the family said they were grateful to finally have answers about what happened to Douglas.
“We never stopped hoping for answers about Doug’s disappearance,” – Brick’s family
“Many years ago, we pushed for the cold case to be reopened with the addition of DNA evidence. We are relieved to finally have some answers. After 52 years, this result, while sad, is nothing short of a miracle.” – Brick’s family
The reason behind Douglas Brick’s disappearance is still unknown. University officials recognized the importance of this finding, which speaks to the decades-old enigma that was Brick’s case.
“It seemed impossible that he could ever be found,” – University of Utah
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