When Elaine Runyan called her three children in for lunch on August 26, 1982, from the playground right across the street from their home in Sunset, Utah, only two came running. When she asked her eldest son Nathan where his little sister Rachael was, he told her that she’d been taken away by a man in a blue car. One month later, in a discovery that shook the Sunset community to its core, little Rachael Runyan’s body was found floating in a stream about an hour outside of town. Despite two witnesses who could describe the suspect, an extensive investigation, and relentless efforts by the family, the case went cold and has stayed that way for over 40 years. That is, until 2019 when a new approach to the case surfaced a tip that changed everything. Investigators now have a suspect, and they are hopeful DNA evidence will be able to conclusively provide answers to the question the Runyan family has agonized over for decades: who killed their daughter?
Courtesy of Utah Cold Case Coalition
Episode Info
If you have any information about the 1982 abduction and murder of Rachael Runyan please call the Sunset Police Department at (801) 825-1620.
Rachael is seen taking a lick of an ice cream cone in this undated photo. Photo Courtesy: Runyan Family
Elaine Runyan shown holding the hand of her beaming daughter Rachael. Photo Courtesy: Runyan Family
In this undated photo Rachael is seen sitting next to her older brother Justin. Justin was 5 at the time of Rachael’s abduction, and was one of the crime’s only witnesses. Photo Courtesy: Justice for Rachel Runyan - Facebook
Rachael and her two brothers Justin (left) and Nathan (right) were playing at the playground across the street from their house when she was taken. Photo Courtesy: Justice for Rachel Runyan - Facebook
In this undated photo, Rachael is pictured wearing the dress she was in the day she went missing. Photo Courtesy: BCI Utah
A trip to Bobco’s ice cream shop, shown in the above photo dated January 10, 1979, was the bait used by Rachael’s kidnapper and eventual murderer, to lure her to his car the day of her abduction. Photo Courtesy: Jason Jensen, PI
An article published in The Bellingham Herald September 4, 1982, 8 days after Rachael’s disappearance, described the circumstances of her abduction and provided the public a physical description of both her and her abductor. Photo Courtesy: The Bellingham Herald
On September 21, 1982, The Salt Lake Tribune published an article confirming the positive identification of a body found in a remote part of Morgan County as that of Rachael Runyan. Photo Courtesy: Salt Lake Tribune
A Davis News Journal article from September 23, 1982, described the 10-person task force that had been formed to investigate Rachael’s murder and gave notice of her burial. Photo Courtesy: Davis News Journal
On September 24, 1982, The Morgan County News published the story of the discovery of Rachael’s body in a mountain stream five days earlier. After an autopsy failed to positively identify her, Rachael’s parents had to identify her body based on one crooked tooth and one that was chipped. Photo Courtesy: Morgan County News
The Davis County Clipper published an article on October 13, 1982, that outlined the current state of the investigation into her murder. Investigators expressed that they were unsure whether her cause of death would ever be known. Photo Courtesy: The Davis County Clipper
An October 24, 1982 article in The Salt Lake Tribune described the preventative safety measures being taken by other parents in the wake of Rachael’s murder. Over 30,000 Utah children were fingerprinted and their blood types taken in order to aid in identification should they to ever go missing. Photo Courtesy: The Salt Lake Tribune
An October 24, 1982 article in The Daily Spectrum further details the safety measures undertaken by other Utah parents in the wake of Rachael’s tragedy. Photo Courtesy: The Daily Spectrum
On September 4, 1986, the Davis County Clipper reported that the Sunset City Police was aiding in a separate investigation into the kidnapping of a 3-month-old infant that bore similarities to the Rachael Runyan case. Investigators wondered if the two abductions could be connected. Photo Courtesy: The Davis County Clipper
A November 1, 1989 article in The Salt Lake Tribute outlines the release of an “Unsolved Mysteries” episode on Rachael’s case. Photo Courtesy: The Salt Lake Tribune
A November 10, 1989 follow-up article cites 150 telephone calls with tips inspired by Rachael’s “Unsolved Mysteries” episode. Photo Courtesy: The Salt Lake Tribune
A picture published in an article in The Signpost on November 17, 1989, showed a black rose that had been left on Rachael’s tombstone; black roses had been placed there on two separate occasions. Photo Courtesy: The Signpost
On August 24, 1992, The Daily Herald published an article outlining the lasting effects of Rachael’s abduction on the Sunset, Utah community. Photo Courtesy: The Daily Herald
In 2019 ABC4 Utah, a local news station, published a more accurate version of the composite based on Rachael’s brother’s description. Photo Courtesy: Jason K Jensen, PI (Facebook) and ABC4 Utah
Elaine holds a photo of Rachael wearing a tiara after winning the Little Miss Sunset contest. Photo Courtesy: Runyan Family
A shrine to Rachael on a shelf in Elaine Runyan’s home. Photo Courtesy: audiochuck staff
This undated photo shows Rachael (bottom right) with the rest of her family: her younger brother Nathan (center), her older brother Justin (bottom left), her mother Elaine (top right), and her father Jeff (top left). Photo Courtesy: Runyan Family
Elaine shown holding a picture of Rachael in a pink and white dress. Photo Courtesy: Runyan Family
Elaine stands in front of a glass display case full of pictures of her only daughter, Rachael. Photo Courtesy: audiochuck staff