SALT LAKE CITY — Investigators in the Centerville kidnapping case looked into the possibility of a connection between the suspects and a missing UTA worker, officials reported Monday.
At this point, Utah Transit Authority Police, Centerville police and Sublette County Sheriff’s Office say they have found nothing that links suspects Dereck James Harrison and Flint Wayne Harrison to UTA maintenance worker Kay Porter Ricks.
Ricks, 63, was reported missing from the Salt Lake City area on May 12. Authorities looked into the possibility of Rick’s truck being used by suspects Flint Harrison, 51, and DJ Harrison, 22, to flee the state after the alleged kidnapping and assault in Centerville, according to a press release from Sublette County Sheriff’s Office.
Ricks is still missing. He is described as a white, about 5 feet 6 inches tall and 180 pounds. He was last seen wearing a long-sleeve shirt, blue jeans and possibly a bright orange safety vest.
UTA detectives first contacted Centerville authorities during their investigation to see if they were aware of a connection to the kidnapping and assault case.
“We informed them that we were not aware of any connection,” according to a press release from Centerville police.
Centerville police say they forwarded the attempt to locate information from UTA to Sublette County Sheriff’s Office so they were aware in case they found the work truck in Wyoming.
“We believe that between all the parties involved who were communicating about this case, a misperception developed that there was a connection between the two cases,” the release states.
The work vehicle is described as a white Ford pickup truck with a Utah license plate of 206886. The vehicle also has a truck bed mounted equipment rack and is marked with Utah Transit Authority insignia.
According to the release, the truck was last seen within a mile of the last known location of the Harrisons after the alleged attack.
Officials with Sublette County Sheriff’s Office confirm its on the lookout for the UTA truck as they search the forest area north of Pinedale where the Harrisons’ had been camping prior to their arrests. Anyone who spots the truck is asked not to touch it but to call police.
Anyone with information about the truck or Ricks is asked to call police.
