Family pleads for help as search continues for Jeep in Jordanelle road rage homicide

Family and loved ones put together a memorial for Patrick Hayes near the Ross Creek area of the Jordanelle. Photo: TownLift // Marina Knight

Police are seeking information from a new area of focus in Kimball Junction, as well as the Ross Creek area

HIDEOUT, Utah – As the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its search for a Jeep suspected to be involved in a road rage homicide at Jordanelle State Park, the victim’s family is urging the public to come forward with any information that could assist in the investigation.

Police still do not know who fatally shot Patrick Hayes, 61, of Hideout, the night of Sept. 25 in what authorities believe was a road rage incident. The murder happened at the entrance to the Ross Creek day-use area at Jordanelle State Park.

Police urge the public to come forward with information: The family of the victim and the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office held a news conference Thursday near the scene of the incident. They are urging the public to share any information that could aid in the investigation. Sheriff Jared Rigby provided additional details about the shooting.

Wasatch County Sheriff Jared Rigby said the cause of Hayes’ death was a single gunshot to the chest from a .45-caliber handgun.

Investigators are now focusing on looking for a Jeep Gladiator that may or may not have damage to the front end. Initially, other Jeep models were suspected, but Rigby said now investigators are more confident the suspect vehicle involved was a Jeep Gladiator. At the outset, police said they were looking for a vehicle that also had front end damage but now it is possible it has been repaired in the two weeks since Hayes’ death.

After reviewing Hayes’ cell phone GPSS data and also video from a home across the road, Rigby said they have pieced together additional details about the timeline of the incident.

A new focus seeking public information from Kimball Junction: Investigators have keyed in on the area along I-80 near the Kimball Junction overpass.

Hayes was driving east and data from his phone shows 400 yards before the Kimball Junction overpass he was driving the speed limit – it took 12 seconds to travel those 400 yards. But after the overpass, Hayes slowed down.

“Pat’s cellphone was continuing to move, it did not stop in that 400-yard area where it takes him a minute and 33 seconds. What we’re looking for specifically is anyone that was in that Kimball’s junction area just before 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25,” Rigby said.

After that, Rigby said Hayes continues driving toward his home in Hideout, but instead of continuing home on Shoreline Dr., Hayes made a right at about 11:15 p.m. stopping in front of the Ross Creek day-use area entrance.

Video shows the Jeep pull up behind Hayes and Hayes getting out of his car then walking toward the Jeep.

The Jeep then made erratic moves several times and it appears Hayes tried to move out of the way. Rigby said the video shows Hayes’ movement in the headlights. Hayes then speaks to someone in the Jeep and a gunshot rings out. Rigby said the shot is heard but not seen.

Family members mourn the loss of a well-loved man: Hayes’ fiance Sue Ann Kern and his son Christian Hayes, who were present at the press conference said the loss has been devastating.

Hayes was a well-known local businessman and he had a deep passion for swimming and water polo. He was an NCAA Division I All-American swimmer at the University of Utah and remained dedicated to the sport throughout his life, coaching and competing in water polo at local, national, and international levels.

Christian Hayes had dinner with his dad just hours before he was killed. He and a close friend met Pat at a new Italian place they picked out, where they relaxed and joked.

“We just spent the night together, the three of us, and, you know, hugged him and told him I loved him, and that was that,” Christian said.

He described his Dad as larger than life; a man with a big personality who loved everybody hard.

“Swimming, water polo, he touched the community forever. There’s people all over the country that loved him,” he continued.

Police contact: Anyone with information on Hayes’ death should contact the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office at (435) 654-1411.