Unknown Rachael Runyan Killer - Utah - 1982

This is the composite of Rachael's abductor from the UM wikia website.



Also according to the wikia, a former New Mexico inmate is the prime suspect in the case but has not been publicly identified. Since DNA has become very helpful in solving cold cases and getting charges pressed against an accused suspect, there may not have been any usable evidence located where Rachael's remains are found.

They interviewed Phil Olmstead, who was Police Chief at one point after the murder. Here's what the article says:

Salt Lake City, UT -- Every Aug. 26, Sunset police Chief Phil Olmstead sits on a bench at Doxey Elementary School and remembers 3-year-old Rachael Marie Runyan.
The toddler was kidnapped and murdered 15 years ago on Aug. 26, 1982.
``It has been frustrating over the years to not really have the answer that you want,'' said Olmstead.
Rachael's mother, Elaine Runyan Simmons, refuses to return to the spot where a man in a dark blue car whisked her daughter away.
``You go through the whos and whys and how somebody can do this.
You just can't come to any solution,'' said the 42-year-old Kaysville woman, who recently remarried.
``It's the most cruel act that anybody can inflict on a human being.''
In the early afternoon of that blistering summer day, Simmons was cooking sloppy joes for lunch while Rachael and her two younger brothers played in the sand under a slide at the school playground. They were 15 feet from their own back yard.
The children tried to run when a man offered them candy. Two made it to the house. Justin, 5, ran into the kitchen and told his mother, ``I have some real bad news.''
The ensuing search involved hundreds of police officers and citizens. It mobilized the entire Davis County area and soon spread nationwide, Olmstead said.
``I've never experienced anything like it, community-wise,'' he said. ``I literally got calls from every agency in almost this entire Wasatch Front. It became alive with support.''
But three weeks after the abduction, Rachael's family got tragic news: Her body was found near Trapper's Loop in northern Morgan County. She was hogtied with nylon parachute chord.
The cause of death could not be determined. She had not been sexually assaulted, Olmstead said.
Despite appearances on several national television shows, including ``America's Most Wanted,'' police are no closer today to finding the murderer, Olmstead said. A $20,000 reward is still offered for information leading to the killer.
``I'm still hoping that [the killer] makes a bad choice in who he talks to and comes forward,'' he said. ``The case is still solvable even though it's 15 years old.''
Simmons has since focused her energy on helping parents avoid the horror she experienced. In addition to speaking publicly about Rachael's death, she helped start Utah's Missing Children, a nonprofit group to prevent child kidnappings.
``Reliving something over and over is therapeutic, but I have a lot of energy and drive to fight back,'' she said. ``I'm proud that I was strong enough to do that. It hasn't been easy, and it came at a big price. It changed our lives forever.''

Rachael Runyan is now victim #642 on the non-profit organization, Project Cold: Case's "Faces of Unsolved Homicides" memorial page.



www.projectcoldcase.org/faces-of-unsolved-homicide/

This is very good to hear and let's hope.

www.crimeonline.com/2020/03/16/cold-case-killer-found-possible-suspect-identified-in-horrific-unsolved-1982-slaying-of-3-year-old-rachael-runyan/

The police are saying that the new person of interest died a year ago. A family member came forward and said that they felt this relative should have been investigated. That relative didn’t come forward because of the suspect description. The Police Chief, Ken Eborn, said that this is a “good lead.” They are also considering drafting a new composite sketch. Eborn revealed the State Lab is resting the decedent’s DNA.