In the quiet community of North Salt Lake, Utah, the morning of July 5, 2018, brought a grim discovery that would unravel a complex and ultimately unresolved case. Reed Christensen, a 67-year-old White/Caucasian male, was found dead in the upstairs hallway of his home on Vista Way. His wife, Cynthia Lauren Knight-Christensen, told authorities she had returned home to find her husband in a pool of blood and had a neighbor call the police.
An autopsy would later confirm that Christensen died from a single gunshot wound to the head, and his death was ruled a homicide.
The initial investigation into Christensen's death quickly focused on his wife. Detectives noted inconsistencies in her account of the events leading up to her discovery of his body. She claimed that she and her husband had gotten into an argument the previous night while driving home from dinner in Murray. According to her statement, he stopped the car, and she got out, eventually making her way to her son's home in Midvale for the night. However, investigators found that forensic evidence contradicted her statements. Further suspicion arose from witnesses who came forward with troubling information. Some told police that in the time leading up to the murder, Cynthia had expressed a desire for her husband to be dead, had offered money for it, and had acquired a handgun. Witnesses also claimed that she had confessed to shooting him after an argument.
More than a year after Reed Christensen's death, in November 2019, the investigation culminated in the arrest of Cynthia Lauren Knight-Christensen. She was booked into the Davis County Jail and charged with aggravated murder and obstruction of justice. The case against her seemed to be building, with police confident they had their suspect. However, in a surprising turn of events, the murder charge against her was later dropped. Instead, Cynthia pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and was sentenced to prison.
With the primary suspect no longer facing a murder charge, the case grew cold. The murder of Reed Christensen officially became an unsolved homicide. During a parole hearing, Cynthia Knight-Christensen pointed the finger at three other individuals, whom she identified as her drug dealer and two associates, as the people responsible for her husband's death. She claimed they had come to the house looking for money she owed them and that a confrontation with her husband likely led to his murder. Despite this new information, North Salt Lake police stated that they had investigated the three individuals but did not believe they were involved in the killing. To this day, no one has been held responsible for the murder of Reed Christensen, leaving his death a lingering mystery.
