Carrie Anne Wayne

A woman's nude body is found floating in a canal
Carrie Anne Wayne was remembered by her family as a "fun and a beautiful girl." Her brother, Jody Davis, and mother, Margaret, often thought about the life she could have lived and all the things she might have accomplished. At 28 years old, Carrie's life was full of potential, but her future was stolen in the summer of 1983, leaving her family with decades of unanswered questions and a grief that never fully fades. "It's been difficult for the family. Still is," her mother shared more than 35 years after her death.

Carrie, a Caucasian female, was last seen around noon on July 22, 1983. At the time, she was living at the Casa Blanca Motel on West North Temple in Salt Lake City. She was known to sometimes hitchhike and frequented Birmingham's Truck Stop at 2100 S. 900 W. During this period of her life, she used several aliases, including Carrie Evans Davis and Carrie LeCannon, which added layers of complexity for investigators trying to piece together her final days.

Six days after she was last seen, on the afternoon of July 28, 1983, a horrifying discovery was made in a surplus canal. Carrie’s nude body was found floating in the water near 8000 West and 2700 South in Salt Lake County, close to the Kennecott smelter. An autopsy revealed the extreme brutality she had suffered. She had been stabbed twice in the chest, sustained a skull fracture, and was sexually mutilated. Medical examiners estimated she had been deceased for three to five days before her body was found.

The Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, now part of the Unified Police Department, launched a homicide investigation, but the case was met with few leads. No suspects were ever publicly identified, and as years turned into decades, Carrie's murder became one of Salt Lake City's most haunting cold cases. The violent details of her death were a stark contrast to the person her family knew and loved, leaving them to grapple with the unknown.

Despite the passage of time, the investigation into Carrie's murder remains open. The Unified Police Department's Homicide Cold Case Unit continues to seek answers. In a demonstration of their commitment, the department has held events like the "Hope Conference," bringing together detectives and the families of cold case victims. In 2018, Carrie's mother and brother attended the first-ever conference, where they met with investigators and other families who shared their experience of loss and uncertainty. Detectives spoke about new forensic techniques and assured families that their loved ones' cases had not been forgotten.

For Carrie's family, the conference was a source of comfort. "It's just nice to know you're not alone," her mother Margaret said. They still hold out hope that one day, the person responsible for her death will be found. "It would be nice to have it resolved," she added. Her brother Jody reflected on what his sister would want: for them to never give up hope. As of September 2018, the case remains unsolved, a painful and enduring mystery for a family who continues to wonder what could have been for the beautiful girl they lost so tragically. Anyone with information about the murder of Carrie Anne Wayne is asked to contact the Unified Police Department.