Robert Santos Soto Jr.

On a warm, late-summer night in Ogden, Utah, Robert Santos Soto Jr. was enjoying a gathering in the backyard of his home. It was the early morning of Saturday, August 31, 2013, and the 26-year-old was with people he knew. Just after 1:15 a.m., he left the group in the back and walked around to the front of his house on the 1700 block of Lincoln Avenue. Moments later, the quiet street was broken by the sound of a heated argument, followed by the sharp crack of multiple gunshots. Witnesses heard a car speed away into the darkness immediately after.

Officers from the Ogden Police Department were dispatched to the scene, where they found Robert lying on the sidewalk. He had been shot several times and was pronounced dead at the scene. Robert Santos Soto Jr., a male, became another victim of homicide in a case that would quickly grow cold, leaving a family without answers for more than a decade.

In the immediate aftermath, Ogden’s major crimes and gang units took charge of the investigation. Police Lt. Danielle Croyle stated that investigators believed the killing might be gang-related. "Witness reported people arguing outside and multiple shots were fired," she said shortly after the incident. "We believe it's possibly some known associates that are aware of each other." This initial theory, however, did not lead to a swift arrest. Despite their efforts, detectives were hampered by a lack of information and eyewitnesses willing to come forward. The trail of evidence grew faint, and with no new leads to pursue, the investigation stalled.

For years, Robert’s case sat among the city's other unsolved homicides, a painful reminder of a life cut short and a crime unpunished. Ogden, a historic railroad town north of Salt Lake City, has seen its share of violent crime, and its police department maintains a list of cold cases, hoping that new technology or a pang of conscience might one day bring a breakthrough. Robert's case is one of several from that era that continues to await a resolution.

In September 2024, more than 11 years after the murder, the Ogden Police Department made a renewed public appeal for information. They featured Robert's story, hoping to jog someone's memory. Ogden Police Lt. Will Farr spoke about the frustrating reality of such investigations. “Sometimes these cases just don't have enough to go on,” he explained. “We've gotten to a spot where we're stuck, and we don't have any more leads or any more information.” The department has taken to social media on the anniversaries of cold cases, a strategy that has proven successful in generating tips for other unsolved crimes.

Lt. Farr expressed hope that the passage of time could work in their favor, encouraging those who might have been afraid to speak before to finally come forward. “Maybe someone sees the face and remembers the situation, maybe they have memories of something they had forgotten at the time, or they have something that they notice during that time that it could spark a memory,” he said. “And then sometimes too, over time, hearts change and people decide that they do want to come forward and share information on what they know.”

As of September 2024, the murder of Robert Santos Soto Jr. remains an open and unsolved cold case. No suspects have ever been publicly identified, and no arrests have been made. His family has been left to navigate their grief for over a decade without the closure of knowing who was responsible for his death or why it happened. The Ogden Police Department continues to seek justice for Robert and urges anyone with even the smallest piece of information to break the silence.

Anyone with information about the homicide of Robert Santos Soto Jr. is asked to contact the Ogden City Police Department at 801-629-8228 or the Cold Case Tip Hotline at 833-DPS-SAFE (833-377-7233).