51-year-old cold case of missing university of Utah student finally solved

After more than five decades of uncertainty, the University of Utah Police have closed a long-standing cold case involving the mysterious disappearance of Douglas Brick, a 23-year-old student who vanished in 1973. Brick was last seen leaving his dorm on October 12 of that year, sparking searches that yielded no answers for over 51 years.

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The case saw a major breakthrough in October 2024 when hunters discovered bone fragments in the foothills above the university—an area previously searched in the original investigation. DNA testing later confirmed the remains belonged to Brick, thanks to a genetic match with a DNA swab from his sister that had been collected in 2018.

This discovery followed a series of coincidences that reopened the case in 2022. From a family inquiry years earlier to an investigator unexpectedly reconnecting with a person involved in the original report, these moments helped authorities revisit the case with fresh perspective.

Strikingly, investigators revisited an old journal entry by Brick’s mother detailing a 1990 encounter with a self-proclaimed psychic who pointed to the exact location where the remains were eventually found. The psychic had also described the terrain and circumstances surrounding Brick’s disappearance with eerie accuracy.

Now, with the case resolved, Brick’s family is finally finding closure after decades of unanswered questions.