In July 1983 a beautiful young mother was killed in Salt Lake County. Her killer has never been identified. In this week’s Unsolved Cases report we take action to help police and Carrie Davis Wayne’s family find the person responsible.
The 28-year-old disappeared in the middle of July. About a week later she was found dead – her body floating in a the Garfield Canal just off Highway 202, near the Kennecott Tailings Pond, and just outside of Magna. It was a brutal murder. Unified Police Detective Todd Park says, "She died as a result of blunt force trauma and stab wounds." Park has been looking into the case for years. "Somebody took it upon themselves to kill her and then he had the thought to bring her out to a secluded area and dump her here. Obviously, in my mind, to cover things up. That person needs to be caught."
In 27 years, police haven't found the murder scene. And all they really know about Carrie's life in the days prior to her disappearance is that she lived and spent a lot of time near North Temple and Redwood Road. They also say she was a known to hitch hike. It is a case with more questions than answers. But Detective Park isn’t giving up. "This is what I live for - this is why I do these cases. There are people out there who know who did some of the crimes and I am going to try to find out who they are and get the information that I need to bring some justice and some closure to these families."
That family includes Carrie's brother, Jody Davis. "I sometimes think what she would have me to do? What she would want all of us to do?" His sister's death has weighed on his minds for years. "If someone was that ill and that angry to do what he did - I worry that others could be at risk." And he says finding his sister's killer would certainly help his family. "I think it would be very helpful for that to happen to close it and help us just move forward." “I know my brothers struggle - more so than I do right now - just with the unsolved aspects of it. I think it would help them tremendously as well as my folks." But he has had several years to think about it and to come to a form of peace with the situation. "There is another greater influence out there and he is very merciful and very kind and there are some things that we'll just leave to him." "I was thinking today that it's got to be a dark place to do what he did and to disregard the dignity of life."
Park says that police did a thorough investigation back in 1983. “There were some things collected by the initial detectives. They interviewed people who knew her and acquaintances.” Park has his theories about what may have happened. "I don't know if this case is connected to other cases or not, but there are some similarities to other cases. So, I am looking at that angle.” But more than theories he and Carrie’s family need some type of break in the case to possible solve it.
Carrie had a young daughter at the time she was killed. Her parents adopted her at the time. Today she is now 29-years-old. For more information:
updsl.org/divisions/investigations/coldcases.html
