Retired FBI agent intervenes in case of missing security guard believed murdered

SALT LAKE CITY – According to Cottonwood Heights police, Matthew Johnson of the National Guard has been missing since September 20. The multi-agency search continues north of Salt Lake County and a former FBI agent explained that weather could be a factor.

“Most of the technologies they use, radar detection, rely heavily on heat sensors,” said retired officer Greg Rogers.

Johnson’s wife, Jennifer Gledhill, did charged with Johnson’s murder.

After weeks of searching, several agencies are still looking for Johnson’s body. Police officials told FOX 13 News they had been searching since Oct. 3.

Rogers, who worked with the FBI for 25 years, said the weather could affect the ongoing search.

“A decaying body gives off a significant amount of heat, so if the ground freezes, those technologies are not very effective,” he said.

As temperatures cool toward Utah, future forensics may also be affected.

“Depending on the method of the killing – if a firearm was involved, it won’t have as much impact,” Rogers said. “But decomposition does make a big difference if there’s strangulation or something like that, so the sooner they find it, the better for the forensics.”

Rogers commended the agencies for their hard work in finding Johnson’s body.

“They have deployed a very good amount of resources. They are taking this very seriously,” he said.