Utah's Cold Cases

A Very Personal Crime

On February 9th, 1980, Bryan Pickett, a corrections officer at the Weber County Jail, went to a bar in Ogden with a colleague after work.  Bryan left the bar around 1:30am, but he never made it home.  A few minutes later, a young couple found his jeep stopped in the middle of a dark road and Bryan's body in the street with a gunshot wound to the head. Judging by the wound, investigators believe Bryan knew what was coming and that it was not a random shooting.  But the case went cold and now detectives are looking for more answers.

Seventeen Blocks

In October 2008, during a night shift in Ogden, Jeffrey Bancroft left work on his lunch break and never returned. His son Kurtis remembers him as honest and hardworking, “the carburetor king” who could fix anything. What looked like a car crash was later ruled a murder. The case went cold, and now investigators are taking a fresh look.   If you have information on the homicide of Jeffrey Bancroft, please contact the Weber County Cold Case Task Force tip line at 801-399-8672 or email coldcasetaskforce@webercountyutah.gov [coldcasetaskforce@webercountyutah.gov]

The Body in the Recycling Yard

Ryan Bush, was a 20-year old Ogden man who went missing in April 2013. He was found dead in a recycling transfer facility in Wilmington, California just weeks later. The LAPD found some papers in his pockets that linked him to Ogden Utah, but his body was in such bad condition they couldn't find any forensic evidence of who committed the crime. The Ogden Police Department took on the investigation and despite searching through hours of surveillance footage and conducting many interviews, they have no idea how Ryan ended up in the trash compactor.    If you have information on the homicide of Ryan Bush, please contact the Weber County Cold Case Task Force tip line at 801-399-8672 or email coldcasetaskforce@webercountyutah.gov.

“Just Watch, They’re Gonna Give it to Me”

In the early morning of October 1, 2013, Shallen Lestrick went to his girlfriend’s house on 29th Street in Ogden, Utah, to see their new baby. According to his girlfriend, they were outside smoking when two men wearing hooded jackets walked up and Shallen was shot in the back of the head. Those men have never been identified, and investigators are convinced there are people with information who haven’t come forward. If you have information on the homicide of Shallen Lestrick, please contact the Weber County Cold Case Task Force tip line at 801-399-8672 or email coldcasetaskforce@webercountyutah.gov.

On His Way Home

On May 3, 2015, 18-year-old Francisco Lopez was killed in a drive-by shooting in Ogden. More than ten years later, police have reopened the case with new leads. His father, who describes Francisco as kind and full of life despite his learning disabilities, has spent years searching for answers. Now, with detectives taking a fresh look, they hope this will finally bring justice and closure. If you have information on the homicide of Francisco “Cisco” Lopez, please contact the Weber County Cold Case Task Force tip line at 801-399-8672 or email coldcasetaskforce@webercountyutah.gov. Any detail, no matter how small, could help detectives move this case forward.