LOGAN, Utah, June 26, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Logan police have solved a 1965 homicide case nearly six decades after the juvenile victim was found dead.
On June 26, 1965 — 59 years ago today — 17-year-old Tanya Weber was found deceased on west Center Street in Logan.
“The Logan City Police Department, with the help of outside agencies, interviewed about 1,000 people and collected statements from 150 of those interviewed,” says a LCPD statement issued Wednesday.
“LCPD processed the crime scene, collected Tanya’s clothing, and placed it into evidence. An autopsy revealed strangulation as her cause of death, and classified the death as a homicide.”
A few days into the investigation, police identified 26-year-old Owen Hodges Kimball as a suspect. He knew the victim and lived close to her. Interviews placed Kimball in the area at the time of Weber’s death.
“On June 30, 1965, Kimball’s family reported him missing. Subsequently, law enforcement found him in his vehicle, deceased. His cause of death was ruled suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning.”
Because no evidence tied Kimball directly to the homicide, the case was classified as unsolved.
In 2022, the case was reopened. With the assistance of the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (Saki) grant, the LCPD sent evidence, including Weber’s clothing, to the Utah State Crime Lab for DNA analysis.
The results indicated a mixture of several males’ DNA on her clothing, the police statement says. Kimball’s body was ordered exhumed, and DNA samples were collected. The Utah State Crime Lab and the Bode Technology Group in Lorton, Virginia, both concluded DNA found on clothing Weber was wearing at the time of her death was a match for Kimball’s DNA.
“With this new evidence, LCPD presented this case to the Cache County Attorney, Mr. Taylor Sorensen, and Chief Deputy Daniel Major. Upon review of the numerous statements and evidence collected from the 1965 investigation, as well as recently obtained DNA evidence, the evidence showed Mr. Kimball did in fact kill Ms. Tanya Weber, and this evidence would be sufficient to obtain a verdict beyond a reasonable doubt.
“It should be noted that today is the 59th anniversary of Ms. Weber’s death. LCPD has been in contact with Tanya’s family throughout this process and hopes this information provides them closure.
“LCPD would like to thank all those who assisted with this case, especially the officers and detectives from 1965 and the relentless work they showed in the initial days and weeks following this homicide.”
