Utah teen Robby Lynn Peay's remains identified after 42 years

A long-standing mystery about a missing Utah teenager has been solved. Utah police have identified the remains of a boy found in 1983 as Robby Lynn Peay. He was 17 years old when he vanished after running away from a treatment center in 1982. Robby, who lived in Provo, disappeared in October 1982. His remains were discovered in February 1983 in Arches National Park, near Moab. Authorities found a body in the park that had a gunshot wound, but identification was not possible at the time due to the condition of the remains. Later, Robby's abandoned pickup truck was found 350 miles away near Lake Powell. Provo police said the truck looked like it had been launched into the lake after repairs. Despite these findings, the case went cold, and Robby's family had him legally declared deceased in 1990. They even set up a gravestone in his memory. However, investigators kept revisiting the case, especially after adding Robby's information to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System in 2018. A breakthrough occurred when a forensic dentist found that Robby's X-ray data had been incorrectly recorded, leading to a match with DNA from the remains. Investigators then found a surviving family member who provided DNA for comparison. The Utah Office of the Medical Examiner confirmed the match. Now, police say the identification brings closure to Robby's family who has been searching for answers for over four decades. A homicide investigation is still ongoing as authorities look into the circumstances surrounding his death.