A long-standing mystery in Moab has finally been solved.
Authorities confirmed that a body buried under the name “John Doe” is actually that of Robby Lynn Peay, a 17-year-old from Provo who disappeared in 1982.
Peay ran away from a youth treatment center on Oct. 7, 1982. His truck turned up abandoned, but he was never found…until now.
Just four months after Peay ran away, a boy was found murdered in the Three Gossips area of Arches National Park. While the physical characteristics matched Peay, investigators couldn’t make a positive identification due to decomposition and dental record discrepancies.
A breakthrough came in 2018 when a Provo police officer reviewing cold cases revisited Peay’s file. Further investigation revealed that the original dental records had been entered incorrectly. When corrected, they strongly suggested a match to Moab’s unidentified remains.
The final confirmation came through DNA testing after detectives tracked down a maternal uncle for a familial comparison.
Authorities recently announced that forensic evidence has officially linked Peay to the John Doe buried in Moab, providing long-awaited answers to a case that had remained unsolved for more than 40 years.
Provo Police Sgt. Nick Patterson told KSL that solving cold cases is challenging but deeply rewarding: “The moment you uncover that long-awaited lead makes all the effort worthwhile.”
Police continue to investigate the circumstances of Peay’s death.
