Remains Of Missing Woman Found In Utah Home

The remains of a Spanish Fork, Utah, woman who went missing 30 years ago were found in the backyard shed of a local home.

Lt. Matt Johnson, with the Spanish Fork Police Department, explained the circumstances that lead to the remains of Peggy Sue Case, who went missing in 1988, being discovered.

“The tenant who was moving out this morning was removing some items from the cement cellar in the backyard,” Johnson told KSTU. “He became somewhat curious and he and the individual with him decided to dig and remove some of the soil.”

The tenant, Johnson said, got the idea to dig after a neighbor told him that a woman went missing from the home decades earlier.

“They dug down approximately 18 inches and found a human skull wrapped in a blanket,” he explained.

Case had reportedly been fighting with her boyfriend at the time of her disappearance. Her boyfriend, Michael Kurfin, became a person of interest in the case in the days that followed. 

“The detective at that time spent may many hours searching the residence, as well as the space beneath the residence and checked the cellar and removed some dirt from the cellar,” Johnson said.

Case was last seen at a hot tub party on July 9, 1988, where she was spotted flirting with some of the men attending the gathering. Witnesses said at the time that they could tell there was hostility between Case and Kurfin. 

Kurfin was arrested in October of 1988 for an unrelated case of attempted theft, serving five years behind bars. He remained a person of interest in Case’s disappearance after his release, even moving to Illinois. 

Neighbors said they were disturbed that the woman’s remains were found in their area.

“I was shocked,” resident Chris Santana said. “I’m actually really happy they cracked the case. Now, the family members are going to be able to know what happened.”

If forensics confirm Case to be the identity of the remains, Kurfin will be approached by authorities for his role in the crime.

“If the tenant suspected a body was buried, he should have called the police to investigate. He might have destroyed forensic evidence that could convict the murderer,” one Mad World News reader commented.

“Oh ffs! Just arrest this guy already. Hopeless investigation on the police’s part. Now step it up. This p.o.s is laughing at your ineptitude,” another added. 

Sources: KSTU, Salt Lake Tribune / Photo credit: Tony Webster/Wikimedia Commons