An investigator who recently resolved a long-standing cold case shared that a psychic accurately anticipated the location of a Utah college student’s remains, who vanished over half a century ago.
This unsolved case involved Douglas Brick, a 23-year-old senior at the University of Utah, heavily engaged in multiple academic groups. He went missing from his dorm on October 12, 1973, leaving authorities puzzled for 50 years.
Police and rescue workers conducted a frantic search for Brick that October, but the case went cold for years.
A breakthrough occurred last fall when a hunter discovered skull fragments in the foothills above the university and alerted authorities.
In early May, a DNA laboratory confirmed the identity of the remains as Brick’s, achieving a 99.9% genetic match with a living family member, as stated in a University of Utah press release.
âWe never stopped hoping for answers about Dougâs disappearance,â Brickâs family said in a statement. âWe are relieved to finally have some answers. After 52 years, this result, while sad, is nothing short of a miracle.â
When Major Heather Sturzenegger and Det. John Dial took over the case in 2022 all they had was a pile of contradictory leads that went nowhere, the release said.
Some people theorized that Brick had dropped out and hitchhiked to another town to start his life over. Others thought maybe he had fled the country.
When the weathered fragments of his skull were found at the top of Black Mountain, it broke the case open.
Although cutting-edge science closed the case, a psychic featured prominently in the investigation â predicting Brickâs fate 35 years before his remains were found, according to the release.
Brickâs mother, Donna, who died in 2010, kept a journal tracking her thoughts and developments in her sonâs case. An entry she wrote in 1990 describes an uncanny encounter that left a lasting impression on one of the detectives.
The heartbroken mom wrote that while shopping at a department store in Salt Lake City, she happened to meet a store clerk who said she was a psychic.
âMaybe you can tell me what happened to my son,â Donna had asked.
âHe really wants you to find him,â the psychic told her, according to the entry.
The psychic revealed details no one would have known at the time about Brickâs disappearance. She told Donna that her son had gone to the foothills above campus, where he contemplated ending his life. But he became afraid, and because it was dark, he slipped and fell, she said, according to the release.
âThese details stuck out to me,â Dial said in a statement. âWhere the skull was located, the terrain I was traversing as part of the search, it is extremely steep and loose on both sides, and I was having a hard time in the daylight keeping my footing under me and figuring out where I was going.â
Investigators said they still donât know how Brick died.
Dial, who flew out to California to tell the family the news, said he developed a personal connection with Brick during the investigation.
âIn a way, itâs hard to explain. There was a push and a connection that I felt was from Douglas,â Dial said in a statement. âI have felt very strongly that I will always have Douglas in the back of my mind.â
âFor me, I just wanted to try to bring closure to the family and solve the case so they can have some peace,â Sturzenegger said.
