SALT LAKE CITY – Police are taking another look at a case from May initially deemed a suicide when a man disappeared and left behind a car, a shotgun and two pieces of clothing stained with something that initially looked like blood.
Lt. Justin Hoyal, Unified Police Department, said there isn’t enough evidence to suggest that a suicide or suspicious event occurred when 43-year-old Norman Douglas Deem disappeared.
The man’s belongings were found along the Jordan River in Midvale on May 12. Investigators are considering the possibility the man may have staged his death—Deem was a convicted sex offender facing prison time on child pornography convictions.
Hoyal said Deem is still listed as a missing person. He said UPD was only involved in the incident because of where the items were found and they were assisting the Kaysville Police Department.
