UT UT – Linda Sue Hanoian Peterson W/F, 29, Murray City, Salt Lake Co, 16 Sep 1978

[mlhenn]

Police reopen case of pregnant woman missing for 47 years

By Pat Reavy Click here for updates on this story MURRAY, Utah (KTNV) — Murray police have reopened the case of a pregnant woman who went missing 47 years ago after telling her husband she was going on a road trip. Linda Hanoian Peterson, 29, was last seen on Sept. 16, 1978. She told her

kesq.com

Murray police have reopened the case of a pregnant woman who went missing 47 years ago after telling her husband she was going on a road trip.


Over the years, and as DNA technology has advanced, Murray police have reviewed the case and reassigned it to different detectives to work on. Detectives Kaylene Gruendell and Abraham Gutierrez have been actively working the case for the past month, and already have had success in locating two of Peterson’s natural siblings.

May 28 2025 article

 

[RBC69]

I'm glad they're reopening it. I hope the husband is still around to answer some questions because since he's the last one to see her, other than these "friends", that's a good place for them to start.

 

[Diane Redfern]

Peterson was last seen in Murray, Utah on September 16, 1978. Her husband stated she stopped by his workplace near 2100 South and 700 East to tell him she was going to Kentucky, in order to visit friends and would be in touch within ten days. She then rode away in a station wagon with two female friends; neither has been identified, but one of them was reportedly named Sue, Susan or Suzanne.
Peterson had little clothing or money with her, but did take a credit card. She apparently never arrived in Kentucky. She never got in touch with her husband or her mother, who lives in California, and has never been heard from again. Her husband reported her missing two weeks later, on September 30. Authorities stated Peterson had lived in Kentucky before, but only for four months, and that there was no known reason for her to have gone there.
For decades after Peterson's disappearance, authorities did not have a DNA sample for her to compare against unidentified remains, because she had been adopted. In 2025, the police were able to identify two biological siblings of hers and got DNA samples from them, which they hope might help find her.
She worked as a nurse at the University of Utah Hospital at the time of her disappearance. Her case remains unsolved.
Source: Linda Sue Hanoian Peterson – The Charley Project

May these people want her baby? Who were they? Linda worked as a nurse, so maybe she met them at the hospital.
Did she run away? How was Linda and William's relationship?

 

[cenazoic]

Also of interest from the article posted by @mlhenn :

“One of the biggest obstacles over the years in the case is that police do not have a DNA sample from Peterson… she was adopted at birth in Glendale, California, it took police in Utah decades to successfully petition for a nonredacted adoption record.”

And

““We have not been able to identify who she went with, who the friends were that she went with, and we have not been able to (find) enough evidence to corroborate that she actually left to Kentucky,” …

Furthermore, there have been no additional reports of missing people or a missing car. Gruendell added that there is no evidence showing Peterson ever left Utah.”

 

[Diane Redfern]

Also of interest from the article posted by @mlhenn :

“One of the biggest obstacles over the years in the case is that police do not have a DNA sample from Peterson… she was adopted at birth in Glendale, California, it took police in Utah decades to successfully petition for a nonredacted adoption record.”

And

““We have not been able to identify who she went with, who the friends were that she went with, and we have not been able to (find) enough evidence to corroborate that she actually left to Kentucky,” …

Furthermore, there have been no additional reports of missing people or a missing car. Gruendell added that there is no evidence showing Peterson ever left Utah.”

According to Charley Project, LE already have DNA samples:
For decades after Peterson's disappearance, authorities did not have a DNA sample for her to compare against unidentified remains, because she had been adopted. In 2025, the police were able to identify two biological siblings of hers and got DNA samples from them, which they hope might help find her.

 

[t.nichevo]

I would hazard a guess that there were never any friends and never a planned road trip to Kentucky. Husband needs leaning on

 

[cenazoic]

I would hazard a guess that there were never any friends and never a planned road trip to Kentucky.

One of the articles linked above has LE saying that she only lived in Kentucky for 4 months, so I would hazard you’re correct.

 

[Oakie]

I would hazard a guess that there were never any friends and never a planned road trip to Kentucky. Husband needs leaning on

No kidding. If my wife just stopped by my workplace one day and said she was going halfway across the country, with no details forthcoming, and no clear plans, I'd interrogate her and everyone (supposedly) with her. His story is not believable.

 

[Pennysmom1]

July 1, 2025

https://www.murrayjournal.com/2025/07/01/538098/investigators-still-seek-clues-in-1978-disappearance-of-pregnant-murray-nurse

<<On September 16, 1978, Linda Peterson was last seen saying goodbye to her husband, William “Phil” Peterson, at his workplace near 700 East and 2100 South. She had reportedly arrived in a blue-and-brown station wagon, accompanied by two women, to inform him she was leaving for a spontaneous road trip to Kentucky.

But Linda Peterson never made it to Kentucky. In fact, according to Detective Kaylene Gruendell of the Murray Police Department, there is no evidence that she ever left Utah.

“As of today’s date, Murray Police have never been able to verify that Linda had any plans to go to Kentucky,” Gruendell said. “Friends that Linda knew, at that time, were contacted and confirmed that she would not have been traveling to Kentucky. There is no current evidence that shows Linda made plans to leave the state of Utah.”>>

<<“It was originally reported that two women were with Linda, and one was introduced as Susan or Suzanne,” said Gruendell. “In the past 47 years, Murray City Police have been unable to identify the two females reported in this case. It should be noted that there are no other missing person reports that fit the descriptions, of the females, provided at the time of
Linda’s disappearance.”>>






updated 6/03/2025

https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/software/mp-main.html?id=2290dfut

Nickname/Alias: Linda Gustke and Linda Hanoian
Date of Birth: March 2, 1949
Age: 29 years old
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 130 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown; shoulder length.
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Pierced ears, scar ridge tissue inside mouth running front to back 1/8"-1/4", five months pregnant at the time of her disappearance.

Identifiers​

Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Not Available
DNA: Pending

Clothing & Personal Items​

Clothing: Orange maternity top. blue jeans.
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Wore glasses.

<<At the time of her disappearance, Linda was 5 months pregnant and had little clothing or money with her. She did have a credit card. The only information known about the friends she was supposedly traveling with is that one of them was named Sue.>>

 

[Pennysmom1]