Utahs Killer Spots

Utah, despite its reputation for clean fun, is actually the location of several famous murders. The Utah ground is soaked with innocent blood.  

Killers like Ted Bundy may have used Utah to make a name for themselves but prior to today’s “killer fame,” the Pioneer settlers were already infamous for a massacre. It marks one of the darkest points in the state’s history.  

Mountain Meadow Massacre 

This tragedy is bloody and horrific for so many reasons, but the randomness of the act still surprises people today. A group of emigrants was making their way through Utah to California in 1857 when a group of militiamen and Native American Allies killed the emigrants. Roughly 120 people were killed and only 17 children were spared death that day. 

There is a memorial site located off Highway 18 just after Central, UT. It overlooks the Mountain Meadows Valley where the slaughter happened. There is also a site dedicated to the women who were murdered nearby.   

West Valley City 

Though the city itself doesn’t have an overall dark history, it is the location of one of the most infamous cold cases in the nation; Susan Powell’s disappearance. In 2009, Powell’s disappearance became a late-night sensation that went on for years. Leaving behind her two boys with their father Josh Powell, everyone was invested.  

Unfortunately, even with interagency cooperation, West Valley Police Department was unable to find her. Josh Powell was the #1 suspect but avoided any convictions. In 2012 during a supervised visit with his kids, Josh Powell murdered the social worker and his children by fire.  

The case is unnerving and was declared a cold case in 2013 when West Valley Police could still no longer find any sign of Susan Powell. To this day, Josh Powell is suspected of murdering and getting rid of his wife's body.  

University of Utah 

This educational institution is unfortunately unanimous with the infamous serial killer Ted Bundy. Before his killing spree in Utah, he was accepted into the law program at U of U. Unfortunately, it seems he had plenty of opportunity to scout out possible victims while ironically, trying to get a law degree.  

It's pretty common to hear a family member who went to U of U during the 1970s regale that family with a close encounter with Bundy...not quite sure that’s a brag...