Jeffrey Bancroft

Jeffrey Allen Bancroft was a man his son Kurtis remembers as honest, hardworking, and someone who could fix anything—even calling him “the carburetor king.” A 46-year-old machinist and mechanic, Jeffrey worked the graveyard shift at Williams International in Ogden, Utah. His family and friends knew him as a loving man, and his memory is a painful one for his children, who have struggled with the violent and unresolved nature of his death. To keep his memory alive, his sons now take an annual fly-fishing trip together every August to celebrate their father's birth month.

In the early morning hours of Friday, October 24, 2008, Jeffrey took his lunch break from his overnight shift. Around 3:00 a.m., he drove to a Rancheritos fast-food drive-thru near 36th Street and Washington Boulevard to get something to eat. What happened in the minutes that followed remains a mystery. At approximately 3:27 a.m., his car veered off the road and crashed into the Praxair building in the 1900 block of Wall Avenue. First responders initially treated the scene as a single-vehicle accident. It was only after he was transported to the hospital that medical personnel discovered the shocking truth. An autopsy later confirmed that Jeffrey Bancroft had died from a fatal gunshot wound to his back.

The Ogden City Police Department’s investigation into what was now a homicide began immediately. Inside Jeffrey's wrecked car, investigators found a half-eaten burrito, suggesting he was attacked shortly after leaving the restaurant. The location of the bullet wound in his back led police to theorize he may have been trying to speed away from his attacker. A witness who was in the vicinity at the time reported hearing a single gunshot near 21st Street and Wall Avenue, not far from where the crash occurred. Police interviewed Jeffrey's family, friends, and coworkers but found no immediate leads or motive for the seemingly random killing.

The case grew cold over the years, leaving his family without answers. About five years after the murder, a promising lead emerged. A federal inmate in Florida, who had been involved in carjackings in the Ogden area around the time of the shooting, claimed to have been present when Jeffrey was killed. He told investigators that he and two other men had been attempting to carjack Jeffrey's vehicle just after he pulled out of the drive-thru. He named his accomplices and claimed one of them fired the shot.

Detectives pursued this new information, locating the two men identified by the inmate. One was incarcerated at the Utah State Prison and had an extensive criminal history. When investigators attempted to interview him, he stood up, removed his beanie hat, did a full turn, sat back down, and refused to speak. The other man was also uncooperative. With no further evidence or cooperation, the lead dried up, and no charges were ever filed. Investigators remained skeptical of the inmate's story, particularly the timeline, questioning whether Jeffrey would have had time to eat half his burrito if he had been shot just moments after leaving the restaurant.

As of November 2025, Jeffrey Bancroft's murder remains unsolved. The Ogden Police Department and the Weber Metro Cold Case Task Force have taken a fresh look at the case, hoping that new technology or a new witness will finally bring a breakthrough. Detectives believe someone still has the information needed to solve the crime. His son Kurtis, who bears a striking resemblance to his father, continues to hope for justice, stating that while good memories can be painful after a traumatic event, he doesn't want his father's memory to die.

Police are asking for anyone who may have been in the area of Wall Avenue between 1900 South and 36th Street in the early morning hours of October 24, 2008, to come forward with any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Weber Metro Cold Case Task Force at 801-399-8672.