Who murdered David Arthur Stack in 1976? In the early summer of 1976, eighteen-year-old David Stack, a Caucasian male, embarked on an adventure, hitchhiking from his home in Broomfield, Colorado, with California as his destination. He had recently graduated from high school in 1975 and was eager to visit his siblings. The last time his family saw him was on June 1, 1976. His journey, however, was tragically cut short.
Stack only made it as far as Wendover, Utah, where his life came to a violent end.
On June 10, 1976, the body of a young man was discovered in a landfill in rural Tooele County. The victim, who had been shot twice in the head, carried no identification. He was described as being between 17 and 22 years old, with shoulder-length dark brown hair, a mustache, and a beard. He was wearing a tan shirt, jeans with patches, and a black belt, but had no shoes. Distinctive marks included a white scar on his forehead and vaccination scars on his left shoulder and wrist. Despite these details, authorities were unable to identify him, and he was buried in the Tooele City Cemetery as a "John Doe."
For nearly four decades, David Stack was considered a missing person, his family holding out hope for his return. The "John Doe" case in Utah grew cold. It wasn't until 2014 that the cold case was reopened. A major breakthrough occurred in May 2015 when investigators found a potential match between the unidentified body's dental records and those of David Stack. To confirm the identity, the body was exhumed, and DNA samples were compared with those of his surviving relatives. In August 2015, it was definitively confirmed that the "John Doe" was David Stack.
Despite the identification, the murder of David Stack remains unsolved. To date, no arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified in connection with his death. The Tooele County Sheriff's Office continues to investigate the homicide, hoping that with his identity now known, new leads will emerge to finally bring justice for David Stack and his family.
