Key Points Summary – Psychic solves cold case

• Remains of Douglas Brick found 52 years after disappearance
• DNA confirmed the match with 99.9% certainty in early May
• A psychic predicted the location and story decades ago
• Skull found on steep Black Mountain above the Utah campus
• Police and family say it brings long-awaited closure

Hunter’s Discovery Ends Decades Of Unanswered Questions

A 52-year-old mystery was finally solved in Utah after the remains of Douglas Brick were found in the foothills near his college campus, right where a psychic said they would be. The breakthrough stunned both investigators and family members who had long lost hope.

Brick, a 23-year-old University of Utah senior, vanished on Oct. 12, 1973, from his dorm room. At the time, he was heavily involved in student organizations, and his disappearance launched an intense but fruitless search.

Skull Fragments Found Where Psychic Said To Look

In fall 2023, a hunter stumbled upon human skull fragments on Black Mountain, above the university campus. That led to forensic testing, and in early May, DNA analysts confirmed the identity of the remains using a close family match.

What no one expected? A psychic had described the exact scenario 35 years ago. According to a journal kept by Brick’s late mother, Donna, the psychic said Douglas had gone to the foothills, considered suicide, but slipped and fell in the dark.

The fragments were found on treacherous terrain, and investigators confirmed the slope was so steep that they struggled even during the daytime. “It matched exactly what she said,” Det. John Dial said.

A Mother’s Search That Never Ended

Donna Brick died in 2010, never knowing what happened to her son. But she had documented every lead and strange encounter — including the day in 1990 she spoke to a store clerk who claimed to be psychic.

“She said he wanted me to find him,” Donna wrote. That comment stayed with the family — and later with investigators — as it eerily lined up with where and how Douglas’ remains were ultimately found.

“This is nothing short of a miracle,” the family said in a statement. “We never stopped hoping for answers.”

Emotional Closure For Investigators, Too

Dial and Major Heather Sturzenegger took over the case in 2022 with little more than dead-end theories. Many believed Douglas had simply dropped out or fled the country.

But once the remains were found, Dial felt something deeper. “There was a push and a connection that I felt was from Douglas,” he said. “I will always have Douglas in the back of my mind.”

He personally flew to California to tell the family the case was finally closed.

The Cause Remains A Mystery, But The Pain Has Eased

Despite the discovery, authorities still can’t determine exactly how Brick died. Yet for the family and investigators, the painful unknown has now turned into peace.

“It’s sad,” Sturzenegger said, “but also incredibly powerful to know his story was never forgotten—not by his family, and maybe not even by him.”