REMEMBERING: Valaine Briggs (Ace of Spades, Utah)

The Deck – September 17, 2025
Host: audiochuck / Detective Ben Pender

Overview

This episode of The Deck revisits the 1977 cold case of Valaine Briggs, the "Ace of Spades" from Utah. With families and law enforcement still searching for answers more than four decades later, host audiochuck and Detective Ben Pender explore Valaine’s life, the circumstances of her disappearance and murder, and the ongoing efforts to identify her killer. The episode is both a remembrance of Valaine, who would have celebrated her 67th birthday, and a plea for new information in hopes of finally bringing her justice.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Valaine's Disappearance (03:34 – 11:08)

• Ordinary Morning, Sudden Absence:
  On May 5, 1977, Valaine Briggs, 18, left her apartment in Salt Lake City for a morning class at LDS Business College. She planned a shopping date with her roommate Moana but never returned.

• Early Concern:
  Valaine’s roommates noticed her absence quickly, given Valaine’s reliable nature. They involved Scott, her ex-fiancé from Dillon, Montana, and contacted her parents, who called her uncle to file a missing persons report.

• Relationship Details:
  Valaine and Scott had only broken up days before. Their last call, on May 4, ended badly, with Valaine crying and hanging up.

  "Vilain was crying and hung up on Scott." (Interviewee/Case Expert, 06:33)

• Initial Police Attitude:
  At first, officers weren't alarmed, suggesting she may have left voluntarily. But contemporary standards for missing adult investigations were much more casual then.

• First Steps in the Search:
  Police quickly issued bulletins, confirmed she attended class, and canvassed both campus and neighborhood.

  "There was several witnesses that identified her attending the class... The classmate she was with went one direction and Vilain went a different direction." (Interviewee/Case Expert, 08:08)

Discovery of the Crime (14:30 – 18:35)

• Body Found:
  On May 7, four teenagers discovered a nude woman's body in Lambs Canyon, outside Salt Lake City.

• Condition of the Body:

  • Hands and ankles bound with a stocking and a decorative black belt.
  • Restraint marks suggesting being tied differently previously.
  • Light, thin ligature marks around the neck; bruising indicated force.
  • Clothes, books, and keys strewn nearby.
  • Signs of sexual assault, though no semen was found.

  "It almost appeared as though she had been restrained in other locations of her body... Nobody knows for sure whether or not she was dropped there after she had been murdered, or if they took her there to murder her." (Interviewee/Case Expert, 16:17)

• Identification & Autopsy:
  Her uncle positively identified her the next day. Cause of death: ligature strangulation. The case transferred to the sheriff's office.

Initial Investigation & Suspects (18:21 – 23:34)

Fred, the Neighbor (18:35 – 21:18)

• Profile:

  • Older neighbor, heavy drinker with a criminal record including sexual offenses.
  • Made female tenants uncomfortable; no alibi for day of disappearance.
  • Rope found in his camper; multiple pairs of women’s underwear (not Valaine’s) in home.

  "He was 65 years old at the time, and he had a criminal history for child molestation, assault, larceny, DUI and forgery." (Interviewee/Case Expert, 19:31)

• Cooperative but cleared:

  • Passed a polygraph and provided hair samples, which were not a match.

Richard, the Professor (21:37 – 23:34)

• Teacher with “Interest”:

  • Noted by students as “taking a particular liking” to Valaine.
  • Called her at home and visited her work; denied any inappropriate relationship despite suspicions.
  • Alibi checked out (at work as court reporter), wasn’t polygraphed or searched.

• Lost Evidence:

  • FBI secured dozens of prints and palm prints, but they vanished before being analyzed.

  “They never searched his property... they also never asked him to sit for a polygraph.” (Detective Ben Pender, 23:33)

• Case Goes Cold:

  • All leads exhausted; evidence lost; the case stagnated.

Unusual Case Developments (27:39 – 31:35)

The Fake ID Incident (27:39 – 29:30)

• July 1977:
  • Girl found hitchhiking in Montana had a fake ID with Valaine’s name, produced by a forger using her obituary. No connection to case.

Serial Killers & False Confessions (29:16 – 29:30)

• Serial Killer Red Herrings:
  • Confessions by Henry Lee Lucas, Otis Toole, and even baseless Ted Bundy theories all fizzled.

Forensics & Advances (29:30 – 33:46)

• Modern Efforts:

  • 2014 3D scene scan provides reconstruction, not new evidence.
  • Lab testing yielded unknown male DNA mixtures; could exclude but not positively identify suspects.

  "What we have right now is we have enough to exclude somebody... we're right on the cusp of getting into an area where... we can start working on these mixtures and separating them..." (Interviewee/Case Expert, 31:03)

• Ruling Out Key Suspects:

  • Current DNA tests have eliminated both Fred (neighbor) and Richard (professor) as contributors.
  • Ex-fiancé Scott’s status is ambiguous; Detective Pender deflects questions.
  • Detective Pender theorizes Valaine likely knew her killer and voluntarily got in the perpetrator’s car.

  "To me it's a combination of all of those things that lead me to believe that it is somebody that she knows or is acquainted with to the point where she was comfortable enough to get get in a vehicle with." (Detective Ben Pender, 32:10)

• Modern Hopes:

  • Ongoing forensic efforts include seeking genealogical matches and new DNA separation techniques.
  • Detective Pender is adamant about persistence:

  “I'll never give up on the cases. I believe that as long as we have stuff and stuff to do on the cases, I'm hopeful.” (Interviewee/Case Expert, 33:52)

Remembering Valaine & the Ongoing Appeal (34:09 – End)

• A Life Lost:

  • Valaine’s life was cut short at 18, remembered as reserved, athletic, and principled.
  • For 40+ years, her family has waited for answers.

• Call to Action:

  • Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective Ben Pender at 385-468-9816.

Notable Quotes and Moments

• On why Valaine would never have disappeared willingly:

  "They stated that she's not intimidated easily. She was very athletic. They also felt as though she would never solicit rides or acting in any other carefree manner. They indicated she was not a wild type of girl, in fact, that she was the complete opposite as being rather reserved and shy around people she didn't know really well." (Interviewee/Case Expert, 09:40)

• Scott’s presumption after her disappearance:

  "If something did happen to her, she'd probably end up in a canyon." (Scott, via Interviewee/Case Expert, 11:08)

• On suspect Fred, the neighbor:

  "He was 65 years old at the time, and he had a criminal history for child molestation, assault, larceny, DUI and forgery." (Interviewee/Case Expert, 19:31)

• On possibility of DNA breakthroughs:

  "There is a number of things in the works, such as...if we can potentially proceed with investigative genetic genealogy, that'd be another option in this case." (Interviewee/Case Expert, 33:18)

• Detective Ben Pender’s resolve:

  "Hopefully with technology and different advancements out there, hopefully we can do something with what we have. And if we can't now, maybe we will in a year from now or two years from now. But I'll never give up on the cases. I believe that as long as we have stuff and stuff to do on the cases, I'm hopeful." (Interviewee/Case Expert, 33:52)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Valaine’s Morning & Disappearance: 03:34 – 07:41
• Roommates, Family, and Police Response: 07:41 – 10:09
• Scott’s Involvement & Alibi: 11:08 – 12:32
• Body Discovered & Crime Scene Details: 14:30 – 18:21
• Suspect “Fred” Investigation: 18:35 – 21:18
• Suspect “Richard” (Professor): 21:37 – 23:34
• Lost FBI Evidence & Case Goes Cold: 23:34 – 27:39
• Montana Fake ID Incident: 27:39 – 29:16
• Serial Killer Leads & Advances in Forensics: 29:16 – 33:46
• Detective Pender on Case Status and Modern Testing: 33:46 – 34:09
• Eulogy and Call for Tips: 34:09 – End

Tone & Final Thoughts

The episode is sensitive, tenacious, and empathetic—honoring Valaine as a real human being, while demonstrating determined investigative journalism and law enforcement resolve. It blends careful retelling of the facts with hope that new technology or a tip will finally solve the case.

If you have any information relating to Valaine Briggs’s murder, please contact Detective Ben Pender at 385-468-9816.