1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,780 The views and opinions expressed in Cold and Missing are exclusively those of the hosts. 2 00:00:13,780 --> 00:00:18,400 All parties mentioned are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 3 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:22,160 Cold and Missing also contains adult themes and languages. 4 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,560 Listener discretion is advised. 5 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:27,280 I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin-Sulkowski. 6 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:29,680 And I'm your co-host, Eli Sulkowski. 7 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:34,320 And this is Cold and Missing, where we cover cold cases and missing person cases. 8 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:36,800 Hello everyone, welcome back. 9 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:37,800 Welcome back everyone. 10 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:38,800 I'm Ali. 11 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:39,800 And I'm Eli. 12 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:42,960 And this is Cold and Missing on our 40th episode. 13 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:43,960 Wow. 14 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:44,960 Congratulations. 15 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:47,960 Thank you, Mr. Sulkowski. 16 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:48,960 Thanks. 17 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:56,480 Okay, well, with our 40th episode, it's a cold case this week, correct? 18 00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:58,280 That's right, we're covering a cold case this week. 19 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:00,480 Would you like to start us off? 20 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:01,880 Yeah, let's jump into it. 21 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:02,880 Great. 22 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:07,200 So today I have for you a cold case, but just as a content warning at the top, this case 23 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:09,680 does involve a young person. 24 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:15,680 Today we are covering the case of Aaron Dowdle, and this takes place in April of 2005 in South 25 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:17,640 Salt Lake, Utah. 26 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:19,440 But first a little bit about Aaron. 27 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:22,480 Aaron is 15 years old in 2005. 28 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:27,520 He was born December 29, 1989, and he would be 33 years old today. 29 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:32,440 Aaron was a freshman at Granite High School, where he was a popular kid known for his smile 30 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:33,880 and sense of humor. 31 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:37,480 He loved football, skateboarding, and was a talented artist. 32 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:41,960 His sister Carrie says, quote, he was just so outgoing and always trying to make everybody 33 00:01:41,960 --> 00:01:43,560 laugh, end quote. 34 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:46,720 Aaron's mother, Vicki, said he had a quirky personality. 35 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:51,080 He was an active member of the Kimball Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 36 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:52,120 Saints. 37 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:54,400 And now a timeline of events. 38 00:01:54,400 --> 00:02:01,160 So Thursday, March 31, 2005, Aaron and his best friend Andrew leave their homes in South 39 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:04,080 Salt Lake, Utah to ride their bikes around. 40 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:09,120 I wasn't able to officially confirm, but based off of current academic calendars, I 41 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:12,840 do believe that the boys were on spring break during this time. 42 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:16,240 Aaron and Andrew hang out all day and into the night. 43 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:21,820 Aaron and Andrew were last seen between midnight and 1 AM, so this is April 1 now, standing 44 00:02:21,820 --> 00:02:24,520 on a corner outside of Aaron's home. 45 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:29,440 In the early morning hours of April 1, an exact time isn't given. 46 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:36,360 Andrew is found lying unconscious near Burton Avenue and West Temple by people passing by. 47 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:40,480 Andrew is only wearing his boxers, a t-shirt, and one sock. 48 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:45,480 A few hours later, Aaron is found by passerbys a few blocks away. 49 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:49,720 Aaron is found at 195 West Malvern Avenue. 50 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:54,960 Aaron is fully clothed but has been beaten into a coma and stabbed. 51 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:59,160 The boys are rushed to the hospital while police work to ID the boys because they are 52 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:01,760 unrecognizable after the assault. 53 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:04,840 Police go on local media asking for the public's help. 54 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:09,500 The police spokesperson says, quote, We have nothing else at this point, so our detectives 55 00:03:09,500 --> 00:03:12,240 are out trying to determine who they are. 56 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:16,120 We're checking with other agencies and missing persons, end quote. 57 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:21,040 It's unclear how the boys are eventually ID'd, but Aaron's mother, Vicki, gets a phone 58 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:22,780 call from police. 59 00:03:22,780 --> 00:03:27,280 She said, quote, I called my husband and I said, I just got a phone call saying that 60 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:32,440 Aaron had gotten hurt and they wanted us to identify him and make sure it is him, end 61 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:33,440 quote. 62 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:39,240 So the next piece of media coverage we have on this case comes on April 28, so this is 63 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:41,640 27 days after the attack. 64 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:46,520 Aaron and Andrew's family speak with the media for the first time and Aaron and Andrew's 65 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:48,160 picture are released. 66 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:53,080 The hope in releasing their name and picture is that it will help generate leads as investigators 67 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:54,780 had hit a dead end. 68 00:03:54,780 --> 00:03:59,760 Police Captain Tracy Tingey says, quote, This case is going nowhere, end quote. 69 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:04,720 Family and investigators have high optimism that both of the boys will fully recover. 70 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:10,040 Aaron, at this time, was awake and responding to certain stimuli but couldn't speak since 71 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:12,000 his jaw was wired shut. 72 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:17,080 Andrew is improving rapidly but he can only remember two days before the attack, nothing 73 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:18,760 from the day itself. 74 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:23,240 At this time, investigators believe that the boys were attacked together and then dropped 75 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:25,160 at different locations. 76 00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:29,920 Police still don't know where the attack took place, where Andrew's clothes are, or 77 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:31,560 the motivation for the attack. 78 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:35,200 Aaron's mother, Vicki, says, quote, It's been a nightmare. 79 00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:37,480 It's been four weeks of utter hell. 80 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:39,080 I just want to know why. 81 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:42,160 My son has never hurt anyone, end quote. 82 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:46,880 Aaron's sister, Carrie, says, quote, I want to know who did this to my brother. 83 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:48,360 It boggles my mind. 84 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:52,120 I just don't know what he could have done that he could have, why someone would want 85 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:54,440 to do this to him, end quote. 86 00:04:54,440 --> 00:05:01,280 On Sunday, May 8, 2005, so this is 37 days from the attack, Aaron is rushed from his 87 00:05:01,280 --> 00:05:04,760 long term care facility to Alta View Hospital. 88 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:09,360 Aaron suffered from a brain hemorrhage and was pronounced dead at 530 p.m. 89 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:12,640 Family are shocked since he had been making such great recovery strides. 90 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:15,440 Aaron's mother says, quote, I'm just kind of numb. 91 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:17,240 It just seems unbelievable. 92 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:19,920 I keep thinking I'll wake up and it'll be a dream. 93 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:21,960 It's been really hard, end quote. 94 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:25,120 Aaron's sister, Carrie, says, quote, I feel like I've been robbed. 95 00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:29,920 We not only lost a brother, we lost an uncle, and we lost a best friend that can never be 96 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:32,280 replaced, end quote. 97 00:05:32,280 --> 00:05:35,860 Police shift their investigation to a homicide case. 98 00:05:35,860 --> 00:05:40,160 Police Captain Tracy Tingey says, quote, we were conducting the investigation like it 99 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:44,480 was a homicide anyway because we had two victims that couldn't talk to us. 100 00:05:44,480 --> 00:05:48,120 The only change is now it truly is a homicide. 101 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:51,620 It really doesn't change the method and manner, end quote. 102 00:05:51,620 --> 00:05:55,880 Police are reinterviewing people and while they have no leads, they do believe that whoever 103 00:05:55,880 --> 00:06:00,080 attacked the boys probably knew them and intended for them to die. 104 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:04,520 Andrew has fully recovered and has been released from the hospital but still has no memory 105 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:06,760 of the event or of the day. 106 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:09,880 Aaron's mother says, quote, I really want these guys caught. 107 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:13,280 It's silly to let something like this happen and let them get away. 108 00:06:13,280 --> 00:06:14,840 It's silly, end quote. 109 00:06:14,840 --> 00:06:20,600 The next day, May 9th, Aaron's autopsy is conducted and grief counselors are sent to 110 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:23,800 Granite High School to support the students there. 111 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:27,740 Principal Stephen Hess says, quote, the kids were upset by what happened. 112 00:06:27,740 --> 00:06:31,080 They were hoping he would pull through, end quote. 113 00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:33,260 Investigators keep hitting dead ends. 114 00:06:33,260 --> 00:06:38,320 Police Captain Tracy Tingey says, quote, normally we'd get someone saying that they were hanging 115 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:41,760 out with this person or that person who said something. 116 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:45,320 The beating was so bad, it felt like it was a personal vendetta. 117 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:46,740 But there's nothing. 118 00:06:46,740 --> 00:06:50,700 It may very well turn out to be a stranger or strangers. 119 00:06:50,700 --> 00:06:53,640 It very well could be random, end quote. 120 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:57,720 Another theory police have at this time is that the boys saw something or stumbled into 121 00:06:57,720 --> 00:07:00,000 something that they shouldn't have seen. 122 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:06,760 On Friday, May 13th, Aaron's funeral is held at the South Salt Lake Steak Center and he 123 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:10,600 is laid to rest at Redwood Memorial Mortuary. 124 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:13,960 And then Aaron's case really goes cold after that. 125 00:07:13,960 --> 00:07:21,080 Then the next media report that I could find comes on December 12th, 2019. 126 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:24,080 So this is 14 years after Aaron's death. 127 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:28,480 Local media cover the cold case, but it does appear that the motive has shifted in the 128 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:29,800 investigation. 129 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:35,400 Sergeant Matt Allhur told local media that they believe gang involvement and drugs could 130 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:37,160 have led to the assault. 131 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:40,780 Police say Andrew no longer cooperates with police. 132 00:07:40,780 --> 00:07:44,680 And this is the last media coverage that I could find on the case. 133 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:51,800 However, I did reach out to South Salt Lake Police and Executive Officer Danielle Croyle 134 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:56,760 from the South Salt Lake Police Department responded back to me on May 18th and she said 135 00:07:56,760 --> 00:07:58,520 the case is still active. 136 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:03,480 Unknown motive, but there is some indication of drug and possible gang involvement. 137 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:08,780 And she encourages anyone that knows anything to call the South Salt Lake Police. 138 00:08:08,780 --> 00:08:19,520 So with that said, if you know anything, please contact the South Salt Lake Police at 801-840-4000. 139 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:27,040 And the sources for the timeline come from ABC4 News, Desert News, KSL, the Utah.gov 140 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:33,400 website, South Salt Lake Police, the Daily Spectrum and the Daily Herald. 141 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:35,520 So that is the case of Aaron Dowdell. 142 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:39,760 Yeah, I mean, it's a pretty brutal case, but I don't have any questions. 143 00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:43,000 More just curious as to what you have to say about it. 144 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:47,320 Yeah, I, this case is really brutal. 145 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:55,440 I think it's interesting that kind of 14 years after the fact is the first time that we hear 146 00:08:55,440 --> 00:09:01,320 about the possible drug deal or gang involvement. 147 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:06,400 And even I think there's a quote from his mother from 2019 that says like, they don't 148 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:10,760 know if it was a drug deal gone bad or what happens. 149 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:14,600 They just like really don't know the story yet. 150 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:17,120 And therein lies the answer, right? 151 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:19,080 That's always kind of what we say. 152 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:23,200 Like once you have the full timeline, you know everything. 153 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:30,380 And also I'm curious as to like, why police say that Andrew, who was the other boy involved 154 00:09:30,380 --> 00:09:37,640 in this attack who ended up surviving, why he no longer cooperates with the police? 155 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:44,980 Because from everything that we know in 2005, he sustained a pretty substantial head injury 156 00:09:44,980 --> 00:09:48,020 from everything that was described. 157 00:09:48,020 --> 00:09:51,800 So he just didn't have any memory from the days leading up to it. 158 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:55,960 I think it's said that he had no memories from two days before. 159 00:09:55,960 --> 00:09:58,040 So we didn't remember the day before the day of. 160 00:09:58,040 --> 00:10:00,240 Yeah, that makes sense. 161 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:07,400 So I just wonder why police say he's not cooperating when it doesn't seem like he can tell them 162 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:09,400 anything, you know? 163 00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:10,440 Yeah. 164 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:15,840 Because your husband, I enjoy that I get to listen along with the listeners. 165 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:18,960 I mean, I know it's technically the night before, but you know, they're listening right 166 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:20,240 now. 167 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:26,480 And I get to be like surprised and impressed by you because, you know, yes, I'm I have 168 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:36,600 an interest in true crime in the same aspect as you as your interests and you want to be 169 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:37,600 a part. 170 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:45,920 Your interest is rooted in care and like finding people solving, you know? 171 00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:53,660 But it wouldn't occur to me to like reach out to the deputy sheriff lady. 172 00:10:53,660 --> 00:10:57,000 She is the executive officer, Danielle Croyle. 173 00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:58,480 Danielle Croyle. 174 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:03,000 Yeah, I like wouldn't think to do that. 175 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:04,000 It makes sense. 176 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:08,880 Like, you know, and I've heard it on other podcasts and people who investigative journalism 177 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:17,520 where they do that kind of outreach or just like solving my my brain as far as true crime 178 00:11:17,520 --> 00:11:20,180 goes just isn't really set up that way. 179 00:11:20,180 --> 00:11:22,200 So I think it's cool. 180 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:23,920 I think it's great that she responded. 181 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:30,040 I think it's great that she's encouraging to encouraging people to, you know, come forward 182 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:36,520 if they've heard something or just anything is reiterating what we're doing on this episode. 183 00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:43,120 So again, if you know anything about what happened to Aaron Dowdell in April of 2005, 184 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:51,200 please call the South Salt Lake Police at 801-840-4000. 185 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:55,140 And if you're not following us on Instagram, please go ahead and search us out. 186 00:11:55,140 --> 00:11:57,880 You can find us at Cold and Missing. 187 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:02,180 We'll be posting pictures of Aaron along with all the information that's in the show notes 188 00:12:02,180 --> 00:12:03,520 while you're in your podcast app. 189 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:06,520 If you wouldn't mind leaving us review, that would be awesome. 190 00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:12,200 It helps others find the podcast, which helps others hear about these cases, which potentially 191 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:13,520 helps them get solved. 192 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:19,400 So just by telling a friend about this cool podcast you like, you're doing the work. 193 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:23,160 And if you don't have any social media and you don't want to review us on a podcast app, 194 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:25,880 head over to our website, Cold and Missing. 195 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:26,880 Everything's on there. 196 00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:31,520 We also have transcripts if you are maybe hard of hearing or someone you love is hard 197 00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:34,700 of hearing that would maybe be interested in our podcast. 198 00:12:34,700 --> 00:12:38,120 They can go on there and read all our episodes, which is really cool. 199 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:40,680 I'm glad we have that up now. 200 00:12:40,680 --> 00:12:42,200 And that's all I have. 201 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:44,280 So have a good week and stay safe, y'all. 202 00:12:44,280 --> 00:12:59,920 Stay safe, y'all.