In the winter of 1998, a man known by two names, Antonio Arana and Isac Nerio, was living a quiet life in an apartment in Ogden, Utah. Details about his personal life, his age, his profession, and the family he may have left behind have faded over the decades, lost in the sparse public records of his unsolved murder. He was a resident of a second-floor apartment on the 2600 block of Adams Avenue, a busy north-south thoroughfare in the heart of the city, lined with a mix of historic homes, apartment buildings, and local businesses. Who he was as a person—his hopes, his relationships, his daily routines—remains a missing chapter in the story of his final days.
The cold silence surrounding his life was shattered on Friday, January 9, 1998. That day, officers from the Ogden Police Department were dispatched to his residence, Apartment #2 at 2684 Adams Avenue, responding to a call about a possible assault or a person with head trauma.
Inside the apartment, they made a grim discovery. Antonio, also known as Isac, was found lying face down on his kitchen floor. He had been shot once in the back of the head. Emergency medical personnel rushed him to a local hospital, but the injury was catastrophic. For six days, he clung to life before succumbing to the fatal wound on January 15, 1998.
The Ogden Police Department immediately launched a homicide investigation under case number 98-616. Detectives processed the scene at the Adams Avenue apartment, searching for clues and interviewing neighbors and potential witnesses. However, the initial investigation did not lead to an arrest, and as days turned into weeks, the case grew colder. The identity of the person who shot Antonio and the motive for the brutal, execution-style killing remained elusive. Over the years, the file has been passed down, remaining open but without significant public developments.
The lack of resolution in Antonio Arana's case is a heavy burden, a common reality for families and communities affected by unsolved homicides. In a city like Ogden, which has a dedicated cold case unit, investigators periodically review old files, hoping that new technology or a long-overdue tip might provide the missing piece of the puzzle. Cases from that era are often re-examined for DNA evidence that may not have been testable at the time, or for connections to other crimes that have since been solved. The passage of time can also loosen tongues, and someone who was once afraid to speak may finally feel compelled to come forward with what they know.
More than two decades have passed since Antonio Arana was killed, but his case is not forgotten. It is maintained as an active unsolved homicide by the Ogden Police Department and is also featured by the Weber Metro Cold Case Task Force, a multi-agency group dedicated to resolving long-unsolved crimes in the county. Investigators believe that someone, somewhere, holds the key to understanding what happened in that Ogden apartment in January 1998.
As of November 2026, there have been no arrests in the murder of Antonio Arana, and his killer remains unidentified. The Weber Metro Cold Case Task Force continues to seek information from the public. Anyone who may have known Antonio Arana or Isac Nerio, or who has any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, is urged to contact investigators. Tips can be sent via email to [email protected] or by calling or texting 801-399-8672.
