Dateline NBC takes a look at Britney Ujlaky’s murder case from March 2020 that was first considered a mysterious disappearance. Police initially treated it as a runaway case until they found her partially clothed body wrapped in a blue tarp after days. Evidence found at the scene and subsequent tests revealed the killer had sexually assaulted the 16-year-old and stabbed her to death. DNA evidence from the crime scene led to Bryce Dickey.
According to People Magazine, 18-year-old Dickey picked up Ujlaky from Angel Park in Elko on March 8, 2020. After the latter’s father reported her missing, Dickey gave inconsistent stories to authorities and even tried to mislead them. Two years after the incident, a jury convicted Dickey, following which he received a prison term of 20 years to life in prison.
This case will be covered in the upcoming episode of Dateline on NBC titled “Open Desert“. It will air on the network on Thursday, December 7, 2023, at 10 p.m. ET.
Britney Ujlaky’s murder case: Who was the suspect & how was he caught?
A People Magazine report mentioned that Britney Ujlaky disappeared on March 8, 2020, near the rural Nevada town of Spring Creek. Three days later, police found her bloodied and partially clothed dead body in an isolated Burner Basin desert area. The attacker had raped Ujlaky and also strangled her before slashing her throat deeply. Investigators found a used condom at the crime scene, which consisted of DNA from both the victim and a male.
Ujlaky was reportedly on her way to a friend’s house the day she went missing. Bryce Dickey, whom she considered a big brother, told police he dropped her off at the Spring Creek High School. He claimed to have seen her getting into a green Ford F-150 pickup trick with a tall man wearing a cowboy hat. However, police never found the mysterious man and the truck in question. Prosecutors later claimed he fabricated the tale to mislead authorities.
According to the New York Post, police began investigating Dickey after he gave them inconsistent stories about the last time he saw Ujlaky. Moreover, they were able to match the DNA from the condom as well as from the 16-year-old’s neck and fingernails with Dickey’s DNA. When confronted with the evidence, the suspect told police that he and the victim had consensual sex.
Bryce Dickey stood trial in May 2022 when the jury convicted him of first-degree murder and sexual assault with a deadly weapon. AP News stated that Dickey received a sentence of 20 years to life in prison. He was later handed an additional 50-year term.
