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OGDEN — It's been over 11 years since Robert Santos Soto Jr., 26, was gunned down in front of his Ogden home, and still, there are very few leads in solving the case.
"Sometimes these cases just don't have enough to go on," said Ogden Police Lt. Will Farr.
It was on Aug. 31, 2013, at 1:18 a.m. when Soto left a gathering in his backyard and walked to the front of his house in the 1700 block of Lincoln Avenue. Moments later, witnesses reported hearing arguing then gunshots.
"People had heard shots fired and then heard a car speed off," said Farr.
When Ogden police arrived on scene, Soto was found lying on his back on the sidewalk in front of the home; he had been shot several times and was deceased.
Despite years of ongoing investigative efforts, the lack of information and eyewitnesses resulted in the case going cold.
"We've gotten to a spot where we're stuck, and we don't have any more leads or any more information," Farr said.
To generate new leads, Ogden police posted a photo of Soto and information about the case on Facebook on the anniversary of his death – something they've been doing for all their cold cases in recent years. Farr says posts like this have proven successful in other cases.
"Since we started that program, there's has been quite a few tips and an uptick in the tips that we've received, and each one of those tips is followed up by a detective," he said.
Farr hopes that time and technology will help in bringing answers and closure to the Soto family. He's asking anyone with information about the case to contact the Ogden Police Department at 801-629-8228 or call the Cold Case Tip Hotline at 833-DPS-SAFE (833-377-7233).
"Maybe someone sees the face and remembers the situation, maybe they have memories of something they had forgotten at the time, or they have something that they notice during that time that it could spark a memory," Farr said. "And then sometimes too, over time, hearts change, and people decide that they do want to come forward and share information on what they know."
