LOGAN — Law enforcement have announced the conclusion of a cold case homicide that occurred 59 years ago. On June 26, 1965, 17-year-old Tanya Weber was found deceased at 454 W. Center Street. An autopsy revealed she had been strangled.
Rhonda Christensen was 14-years-old at the time and still remembers when she learned that her older sister had been murdered. She and her family were attending a reunion in Idaho, when police located them and told them what took place.
“The policemen came in and asked for my parents,” explained Christensen. “They took them outside and told them what happened. There was a lot of support from our extended family.”
Investigators at the time interviewed about 1000 people and collected statements from 150 of those interviewed. Tanya’s clothing was also collected and placed into evidence.
Logan City Police Lt. Bret Randall said after several days, police identified a suspect, 26-year-old Owen Hodges Kimball. Statements from those interviewed put him in the area around the time of Tanya’s death.
“Kimball had some notes written in his home that police were able to get, where he had circled her name and photograph,” said Randall. “So, it appears that there may have been some stalking at the time, or certainly some infatuation with her. He just lived down the street, within that neighborhood, so he would have known who she was and where she lived.”
However, on June 30, 1965, Kimball’s family reported him missing. Subsequently, law enforcement found him in his vehicle deceased in Logan Canyon. His cause of death was ruled suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning.
Following Kimball’s death, the Cache County Attorney said there were no “prime suspects” to prosecute in Weber’s murder, leaving the case unresolved.
Randall explained how several police chiefs had investigators reopen the case multiple times over the years in hopes of bringing closure to the family.
“Investigators had a very good suspect in the day,” stated Randall, “but they never could find the evidence to conclude for sure that Ms. Weber was killed by Mr. Kimball.”
In early 2022, Logan police reopened the case, and were able to use new DNA technology to examine Weber’s clothing. It uncovered a mixture of several males’ DNA.
With this new lead, investigators were able to obtain a judge’s order to exhume Kimball’s body, which occurred on Nov. 2, 2023, to collect DNA samples from his bones and muscle tissue.
Testing conducted by the Utah State Crime Lab and an independent lab in Virginia discovered Kimball’s DNA on the sweater Weber was wearing when she was killed.
Rhonda always believed that Tanya was murdered by Owen Kimball but hoped they could know for sure. It was hard for her to describe the emotions she and her siblings now felt.
“Words cannot express the gratitude from myself, my sister Julie, and my brothers Steven and David,” said Christensen. “We are just so grateful to believe that she can finally rest in peace.”
Randall said after reviewing the new evidence, authorities can confirm that Kimball “did in fact kill Ms. Tanya Weber and this evidence would be sufficient to obtain a verdict beyond a reasonable doubt.” He also expressed gratitude to all those who assisted with the case over the past 59 years.