Frank Orme

In the late summer of 1993, Frank Orme, a former tribal police officer, was starting a new chapter of his life in Utah. He had moved to the Brigham City area just three months earlier, in June, after being discharged from his position with the Yakima Indian Nation’s police department in Washington. That new chapter came to an abrupt and violent end on the night of September 16, 1993, in a quiet city park in Ogden, leaving his family and investigators with questions that have lingered for decades.

On that Thursday evening, a passerby made a grim discovery in Lorin Farr Park, a community space stretching along the Ogden River on Canyon Road. Frank Orme, a male victim, was found lying next to his truck. He had been brutally stabbed multiple times in his chest and back. An autopsy would later confirm that one of the wounds had punctured his heart. Orme was rushed to the nearby McKay-Dee Hospital, but his injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead early the next morning.

Investigators from the Ogden Police Department descended on the park, a popular local spot known for its walking trails and playgrounds. They soon found evidence suggesting the attack had not happened where Orme was found. A pool of blood was located approximately 70 yards away from his truck, near the banks of the Ogden River. The working theory for police became that Orme was stabbed in this more secluded area before he managed to stagger back toward his vehicle, where he ultimately collapsed and was found.

The initial investigation was hampered by a lack of clear leads. The motive for the killing was a mystery. Robbery seemed an unlikely reason for the attack, as detectives found Orme’s wallet untouched inside his truck. The weapon used in the homicide was never recovered, and in the immediate aftermath, police had no suspects. "There was no rhyme or reason to it," his father, Dale Orme, who also lived in Brigham City, told reporters at the time, capturing the family's shock and confusion.

Adding a layer of complexity to the case was Orme's recent past. Ogden police confirmed that at the time of his death, Orme was facing unspecified federal criminal charges. He had been dismissed from his job as a tribal police officer just before he relocated to Utah, but authorities did not elaborate on the nature of the charges or whether they believed there was any connection to his murder. The questions surrounding his final months—why he was in Lorin Farr Park that night and who he might have met there—remained unanswered.

Decades have passed, but the murder of Frank Orme has not been forgotten. The case is now classified as a cold case, but it remains open. The Ogden Police Department and the Weber Metro Cold Case Task Force continue to list the homicide in their unsolved files, hoping that new information or a fresh look at the evidence might one day lead to a breakthrough. The identity of the person who attacked Frank Orme in the peaceful setting of a riverside park and the reasons for the violent encounter remain unknown. Anyone with information about the unsolved homicide of Frank Orme is encouraged to contact the Ogden Police Department or the Weber Metro Cold Case Task Force.