Who killed Ann Woodward? The question still haunts local law enforcement, who have been stumped by the murder since 1973 when the former owner of Woody’s Tavern was murdered at the bar. Law enforcement botched the initial investigation, and in the process, lost a box of crucial evidence for over 50 years. But earlier this fall, the Moab Police found that missing evidence, and thanks to DNA testing, the investigator who reopened the case is pretty certain he’ll be able to name a culprit once he gets the results back.

In this series, we talk to the criminal investigator, family members, and friends who lived through the experience. We discuss possible ties to Ted Bundy, finding closure with clairvoyance, and the parallels between other recent murders in Moab that were mishandled by law enforcement.

In this episode, we talk to Tim Buckingham, the childhood best friend of Ann Woodward’s son. We discuss the effect the murder had on the community and draw parallels between other murders that have happened in Moab recently.

The music in this episode was produced by Maxim Novak.

In 1973, Ann Woodward was murdered at Woody’s Tavern, the bar she owned with her husband. One night after closing up, she didn’t come home. The Moab Police and the Grand County Sheriff got involved. Both departments bungled the investigation, kicking off a slew of mishaps that would lead to the disappearance of a crucial box of evidence for over half a century, until recently.

This fall, a criminal investigator with the Moab Police found that missing evidence in a storage unit of the Grand County Sheriff’s Department. The evidence is now at the Utah Department of Public Safety’s forensics lab, and thanks to DNA testing, the investigator is pretty certain he’ll be able to name a culprit once he gets the results back.

In this episode, we talk to Jeremy Drexler of the Moab Police about the new investigation.

Photo: Portrait of Ann Woodward, courtesy of the Utah Department of Public Safety.

The music in today’s show was produced by Maxim Novak.