OGDEN, Utah – Nearly 45 years after Weber County corrections officer Bryan Pickett was found shot to death behind his running Jeep, investigators are taking another hard look at one of Utah’s most haunting cold cases.
The Weber Metro Cold Case Task Force has reopened the 1980 homicide, hoping that modern forensic science and renewed public interest will uncover the truth about who killed the 22-year-old corrections officer and young father.
A Young Officer Killed in the Road
In the early morning hours of Feb. 9, 1980, Pickett was discovered lying in the middle of the road behind his Jeep, engine still running. He had been shot in the forehead at close range with what detectives describe as a high-caliber handgun.
Investigators collected several pieces of physical evidence from the scene, including a leather glove, a hunting knife and shotgun shells not believed to be tied to the murder weapon. Despite the evidence, no one has ever been charged.
Det. Cam Hartman, with the Weber County Attorney’s Office, now assigned to the case through the cold case task force, believes someone still knows what happened.
“I believe there is somebody out there that has even more answers to some of our questions and who is responsible for the death of Bryan Pickett,” Hartman said.
“He Was the Goofiest, Kindest Kid”
For Pickett’s sister, Dorothy Chuday, the loss never faded. She remembers her brother as warm, funny and full of big dreams.
“He was amazing. Bryan was the goofiest, funniest, kindest kid,” she said.
From an early age, he talked about becoming a forest ranger, police officer, or even a DJ. He ultimately chose to work as a corrections officer while studying criminology at Utah State University, hoping to build a future in law enforcement.
Chuday recalls that the day before he died, Bryan seemed unusually troubled.
He hinted he was in a situation he didn’t know how to escape from but told her he needed to “work it out” himself. By the next night, he was dead.
The murder shattered the family, leading to years of emotional strain and grief.
“It changed the trajectory of our lives,” Chuday said, adding that their parents died without ever knowing who killed their son.
A Night Out, Then a Deadly Turn
Investigators say Pickett spent part of the evening before his death at the Kokomo Club on 25th Street in Ogden with a coworker. According to his sister, he left after only one beer and a game of pool.
What happened next remains a mystery.
At some point, Pickett drove to the area now known as Sullivan Hollow Park on Gramercy Avenue. There, he was shot at close range and left in the street.
Detectives at the time did not believe the shooting was random.
“The investigators felt like this was a very personal crime,” Hartman said. “They believe he was sought out and murdered in the street intentionally.”
Many Suspects, No Arrest
Over the years, investigators examined multiple possible suspects and persons of interest, including:
- The coworker who had gone to the club with Pickett
- A member of a biker gang
- Several former jail inmates
- Various potential love interests and girlfriends
But despite extensive interviews and leads, detectives could never gather enough evidence to tie any of them definitively to the corrections officer’s murder.
The physical evidence recovered at the scene has so far failed to produce strong forensic matches, but Hartman is hopeful that new testing methods may finally reveal something that earlier technology could not.
The Weber Metro Cold Case Task Force is actively raising funds for advanced forensic work through its official channels and continues to review long-standing unsolved homicides. Information about the task force and its work is available through the Weber County Attorney’s Office and partner agencies.
A Detective With a Personal Connection
For Hartman, this case is more than just a file.
“Bryan and his parents were my neighbors across the street,” he said. “I remember his Jeep and just how nice his parents were and his sisters.”
Now, decades later, he is in a position to help the family that once lived across from him.
“I really want to find some answers,” Hartman said. “I would love to give Dorothy and her sister some closure. That would mean a lot.”
Investigators Seek New Leads
The Weber Metro Cold Case Task Force believes that time may have changed what people are willing to share. Relationships shift, loyalties fade and memories can resurface. Even a seemingly small detail may help connect the dots in this Utah cold case.
Anyone with information about the 1980 murder of corrections officer Bryan Pickett is urged to call the task force at 801-399-8672.
For Pickett’s family, and for investigators who have carried this case into a new generation, even a single tip could be the key to finally answering a question that has lingered for 45 years: Who killed Bryan?
