On October 12, 1973, Douglas Halliwell Brick, a 23-year-old student at the University of Utah, vanished after leaving his dormitory, Austin Hall, in Salt Lake City. For decades, his disappearance remained a baffling mystery, compounded by lost police records and conflicting reports about his last known whereabouts. His car was found abandoned on campus, and his wallet was discovered on the ground nearby.
Initial searches were conducted in the foothills behind the university, but no trace of him was found. Over the years, various theories emerged, suggesting he might have dropped out of school to start a new life, fled the country, or disappeared into the nearby mountains.
The case grew cold, leaving his family with unanswered questions for over half a century. A significant turning point occurred in 2018 when Brick's sister contacted the university police to inquire about her brother's case, which could not be located at the time. This prompted renewed interest, and in 2022, investigators began to piece together the fragmented history of the case. A crucial development came from a chance encounter with Brick's former roommate, who had been the one to report him missing in 1973. He confirmed the original search areas in the hills behind the university. Then, in October 2024, hunters discovered fragments of a human skull near the summit of Black Mountain, in the same general area where early searches had taken place.
The recovered remains were sent for DNA analysis. In May 2025, the results confirmed a 99.99% match with Brick's sister, finally providing his family with a sense of closure, albeit a sorrowful one. While the discovery of his remains answered the question of his whereabouts, the cause and manner of his death remain undetermined. Friends and family recalled that Brick had been depressed and possibly suicidal at the time of his disappearance. It was also discovered that he had purchased a gun and ammunition shortly before he went missing. The resolution of this long-standing cold case brings a measure of peace to his surviving family members, who had held a memorial for him in 1990, never losing hope for answers. The case of Douglas Brick is a poignant story of a young man who vanished, the enduring pain of a family left in limbo, and the eventual, bittersweet resolution that came through a combination of persistent investigation and unforeseen discoveries.Last Seen: Oct 12, 1973
