It’s been nearly five decades since 29-year-old Linda Sue (Hanoian) Peterson, a nurse and expectant mother, vanished from Murray, Utah—yet the mystery surrounding her disappearance remains stubbornly unsolved. The Murray Police Department, with new tools and renewed determination, has reopened the cold case, hoping that someone who knew Linda Peterson might finally come forward.

On September 16, 1978, Linda Peterson was last seen saying goodbye to her husband, William “Phil” Peterson, at his workplace near 700 East and 2100 South. She had reportedly arrived in a blue-and-brown station wagon, accompanied by two women, to inform him she was leaving for a spontaneous road trip to Kentucky.

But Linda Peterson never made it to Kentucky. In fact, according to Detective Kaylene Gruendell of the Murray Police Department, there is no evidence that she ever left Utah.

“As of today’s date, Murray Police have never been able to verify that Linda had any plans to go to Kentucky,” Gruendell said. “Friends that Linda knew, at that time, were contacted and confirmed that she would not have been traveling to Kentucky. There is no current evidence that shows Linda made plans to leave the state of Utah.”

The story of Linda Peterson’s supposed trip was relayed entirely by her husband, William, who was also the last known person to see her. According to the original report, he waited two weeks before filing a missing person’s report on September 30, 1978. That delay, while not uncommon at the time, has complicated efforts to reconstruct a timeline.

“I believe any delay in reporting a loved one missing has some sort of effect on an investigation,” Gruendell said. “Fortunately for this case, the responding officer and follow-up investigations appear to be thorough. A cold case and a current investigation, for me, follow the same process. When I start to review a cold case, I treat it as if it is a brand-new investigation and start from the beginning.”

Linda Peterson was five-and-a-half months pregnant with her first child when she vanished. Friends described her as excited about becoming a mother. She was a nurse at the University of Utah Hospital, and her coworkers are among those investigators are hoping to hear from. “I was pregnant and so excited — did I talk to you about it?” reads one of several prompts Murray Police posted this year to social media, hoping to jog memories.

Her workplace was just one facet of her social world. She also attended church regularly in the Murray area. While the specific congregation has not been
publicly named.

The Petersons lived in a rental home at 4722 S. 700 East in Murray. Because the home was rented, police have had difficulty tracking down neighbors from that era. “I lived in Murray in the 1970s—was I
your neighbor?” police ask in their public outreach. While the community has changed over the years, investigators are still hoping someone remembers something—anything.

Adding another layer to the mystery are the unidentified women who were allegedly with Linda Peterson the day she disappeared. One was supposedly named Susan or Suzanne, according to William Peterson. Police have never been able to confirm the existence of either woman.

“It was originally reported that two women were with Linda, and one was introduced as Susan or Suzanne,” said Gruendell. “In the past 47 years, Murray City Police have been unable to identify the two females reported in this case. It should be noted that there are no other missing person reports that fit the descriptions, of the females, provided at the time of
Linda’s disappearance.”

Linda Peterson’s mother, living in California in 1978, grew increasingly concerned when Linda Peterson failed to make contact. The two typically kept in touch. By November, she had offered a $500 reward for information on her daughter’s whereabouts. Her concern helped trigger the official investigation. As Gruendell noted, “Linda has not contacted her mother in California,” which was highly unusual behavior and helped signal that Linda Peterson’s disappearance was serious.

The mystery has only deepened with time. William Peterson, who eventually moved out of state and has since passed away, ceased cooperating with the investigation not long after he reported Linda Peterson missing. His account of Linda Peterson leaving with friends to go to Kentucky remains unverified.

In the absence of physical evidence—no remains, no crime scene—investigators have turned to digital archives, genealogy databases, and public records to piece together Linda Peterson’s past.

“I have used resources available such as internet searches, census records, birth records, genealogy sites, and Salt Lake County records to attempt to fill in any unanswered questions,” Gruendell said. “Once I can compile further identifying information regarding friends or acquaintances I will reach out to experts in their field of study to assist with moving this case forward.”

One of the biggest unanswered questions is what happened to Linda Peterson’s unborn child. If Linda Peterson gave birth under a different name or in another state, tracing medical records would require legal authority that is difficult to obtain without more precise leads.

“It would be extremely difficult to accomplish without a name for an alias, location, or exact delivery date,” explained Gruendell. “Requesting medical records for a general time frame would require a warrant. As I am unsure of specific details, I would be unable to articulate probable cause to a judge to assist with obtaining a warrant.”

Adding to the challenge, many of Linda Peterson’s social contacts have since passed away, moved, or become unreachable. Gruendell noted, “Prior to our 2025 investigation, successful police contacts were made. As we have attempted to reinterview these contacts, we have either been advised that they are no longer living, or we’ve been unable to locate current
contact information.”

Despite the passage of time, investigators are not giving up. New forensic tools and renewed public interest are breathing life into a case that many had forgotten. In a recent appeal, Murray Police emphasized their desire to speak with “anyone who knew, worked, socialized, or was a neighbor of Linda or her husband William (Phil) Peterson.”

If you lived in Murray in 1978… if you went to church with Linda Peterson… if you worked alongside her at the University of Utah… or if you remember anything about a blue-and-brown station wagon seen that September—Murray Police want to hear from you.

Nearly 47 years later, the question remains: What happened to Linda Peterson?

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact: [email protected]. λ