42-Year-Old Mystery Resolved: Robby Peay Identified in Arches National Park
By: Shane Lambert
March 20th, 2025
This article is part of a short-term series where I do deep dives at some solved cases to see the circumstances. Click on the label "Deep Dive at a Solved Case" to see other similar articles.
On March 20th, 2025, True Crime News reported that a decades-old cold case had been solved. The Provo Police Department identified human remains found in the Utah desert in 1983 as those of Robby Lynn Peay. He was a 17-year-old who disappeared in 1982.
Peay's historical missing person case described a runaway from a youth treatment center in Salt Lake City on October 7th, 1982. He was reported missing after failing to return.
Four months later, a body with a gunshot wound to the head was discovered in Arches National Park, Moab. However, decomposition prevented identification at the time.
The case went cold despite clues like Peay’s truck being found. It was 350 miles away in Lake Powell, which would confuse the link between the body and the truck. His family, presuming the worst, had him declared legally dead in 1990 and placed a cenotaph gravestone in Provo Cemetery.
The mystery persisted for years. In 2018, a Provo Police detective entered Peay’s information into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs). A corrected dental X-ray suggested a match with the Arches John Doe, but DNA confirmation was needed.
Since Peay was adopted at 11 months old with no direct biological relatives in his adopted family, investigators unsealed adoption records and used genealogical testing to locate a biological uncle.
Historical Clues: Newspaper Reports Highlight Peay’s Disappearance and Uncollected Inheritance
Newspaper clippings from The Daily Herald reveal the anguish of Peay’s family during the search. A profile published on February 22nd, 1990, described him as a 24-year-old white male, 5-foot-10 or taller, 150 pounds, with brown hair, blue eyes, fair complexion, and faint scars on his back from a childhood injury. Here is the original clipping from The Daily Herald (February 22, 1990):
MISSING MAN SOUGHT
A 24-year-old Provo man is still missing after seven years. On Oct. 7, 1982, Robby Lynn Peay escaped a Youth Diagnostic Center in Salt Lake City and has not been seen nor heard from since.
Peay has not made contact with his mother or friends since. On March 16, 1984, Mrs. Peay notified the Provo Police Department that she learned her son was in Boulder, Colo., using the name of Bobbert Casper.
A later article from The Daily Herald on December 29th, 1992, noted an inheritance that went uncollected.
This uncollected money was a significant clue—Peay never claimed it, which, as history shows, often indicates a missing person is deceased. People are typically protective of financial assets with powerful feelings of entitlement. I think the police were very correct to assume he was dead after he failed to collect an inheritance.
Uncollected Money as a Clue: Comparing Peay’s Case to Phyllis Maue and Theresa Yakimchuk
Uncollected money as a clue to death is evident in other cases. Phyllis Maue, missing since 1982, never cashed her work paycheck, as noted in a Missing Persons Commentary blog. Similarly, Theresa Yakimchuk, presumed deceased by friends, never cashed a bank draft she purchased, according to another post on the same blog.
These examples, alongside Peay’s unclaimed inheritance, underscore a pattern. People rarely abandon financial assets willingly. Whether it’s a paycheck, bank draft, or inheritance, such assets are typically safeguarded, making their abandonment a strong indicator of death across all demographics.
However, I think this must be coupled with a lengthy disappearance to avoid overgeneralization. Furthermore, someone might forsake a small monetary asset.
Challenges of Identifying Adopted Missing Persons and the Impact of False Leads
Identifying an adopted missing person like Peay against a John Doe is particularly challenging. Adoption severs biological ties, complicating DNA matches without living relatives. Investigators had to unseal Peay’s adoption records and use genealogical testing, a process that took years and relied on modern forensics unavailable in the 1980s, delaying identification for over four decades.
The 1984 “Bobbert Casper” lead, where Peay was reportedly seen in Boulder, Colorado, highlights the harm of erroneous tips. This sighting, which was offered after Peay was already dead, diverted resources and prolonged his family’s false hope. Such misinformation underscores the need for verified leads, as uncollected money remains a far more reliable clue in determining a missing person’s fate.
It is another example of how eyewitness sources are simply unreliable. But unfortunately, they must be included in cases where there's simply nothing else to go with.
I will lastly state that sometimes family members are the people most prone to believe false sightings. In my opinion, they will be prone to anything that suggests their family member is not dead. Anyone might behave this way but for those interested in resolving missing persons cases, don't buy into fanciful family stories. This is a matter I've discussed in other cases, particularly the cases of Ricky Jean Bryant and The Sodder Family.
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