Cornell Burns

Cornell Burns was a young Native American man navigating life in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the spring of 1990. At 23 years old, Cornell did not own a car and was often seen traveling on foot, a familiar presence to those who frequented the State Street area. His family was originally from Fort Duchesne, but many had moved away from the Salt Lake area over the years.

The last hours of Cornell's life were a series of documented movements that ended in tragedy. On the night of May 17, 1990, around 11:30 p.m., police were called to his home for a domestic disturbance. Shortly after officers left, Cornell departed with a friend, another Native American male who has never been identified. The two men reportedly went to a party at a residence located at 234 E. 100 South. Witnesses later told investigators that Cornell left the party alone at approximately 3:00 a.m. on May 18.

Three hours later, around 6:00 a.m., a passerby discovered Cornell's body lying in the road at 226 E. Kelsey Avenue, an address corresponding to 1185 South. The initial assessment by police at the scene was that he had been the victim of a tragic hit-and-run accident. However, the subsequent autopsy revealed a more sinister cause of death: Cornell had been shot once in the head. A report from June 1990 stated that after being shot, his body was moved to Kelsey Avenue, dumped, and then run over by a vehicle to stage the scene.

The Salt Lake City Police Department opened a homicide investigation, registered under case number 1990-47094. The early stages of the inquiry were complicated by the initial misinterpretation of the crime scene. A key focus for detectives became the man who was last seen with Cornell. This unidentified friend left the residence with him after the domestic disturbance call and accompanied him to the party but has never been located or interviewed by law enforcement. Police believe he holds crucial information about the hours leading up to the murder.

Over the years, the case grew cold. In June 2011, more than two decades after the killing, the Salt Lake City Police Department made a public appeal for new information. Detective Mike Hemideh noted that investigators were hoping the unidentified friend would finally step forward. "We're asking the public to provide us with any information, whether they think it's big or small," he said. "It might be that piece of the puzzle we need." At that time, police also expressed a desire to re-interview all of Cornell's friends and family, acknowledging that many had since left the city.

The murder of Cornell Burns was one of several violent crimes that plagued Salt Lake County during a bloody two-month spree in May and June of 1990, a period that left law enforcement struggling with an apparent upswing in violence. Despite the passage of time, Cornell's case has not been forgotten by authorities. As of a February 2021 review of the Utah Department of Public Safety's Bureau of Criminal Identification database, his homicide remains an open and unsolved investigation.

No arrests have ever been made, and the person or persons responsible for ending Cornell Burns' life have never been brought to justice. The identity of the friend who was with him that night and what happened in the three hours between when he left the party and when his body was found are questions that remain unanswered more than three decades later.

The Salt Lake City Police Department continues to seek information that could lead to a breakthrough in the case.