Unsolved Mysteries

Nez Perce Tribe

On the evening of January 9, 1999, Moscow, Idaho, was settling into another cold winter night. Students at the University of Idaho were enjoying the final days before the spring semester began. Friends gathered at apartments, music echoed through hallways, and laughter drifted into the freezing air.

Among those students was 25-year-old William Ray “Wil” Hendrick.

Wil wasn’t just another college student. He was a talented theater major, a dreamer, and someone who seemed destined for a life on stage. Friends described him as charismatic, outgoing, and fiercely loyal. A Native American man from the Lewiston area, Wil had served briefly in the U.S. Navy before enrolling at the University of Idaho. He worked on campus, had recently landed a small role in the movie Dante’s Peak, and shared a home with his longtime partner, Jerry Schutz. By all accounts, Wil’s future looked bright.

What happened that night would become one of Idaho’s most haunting unsolved mysteries.

The Party

Earlier that day, Wil and Jerry had been remodeling their kitchen. As the evening wore on, Wil decided he wanted to attend a party hosted by a friend, Katie Payne, near the intersection of C Street and Almon Street in Moscow. Jerry was tired and stayed home.

Just before midnight, Wil left.

No one knew it would be the last time many of them would ever see him alive.

The gathering was primarily made up of theater students. However, another party was occurring upstairs, attended by a different crowd. Witnesses later reported that Wil moved between the gatherings during the night.

At one point, he became involved in a disagreement connected to a friend who was having problems with her boyfriend. Several people reportedly advised Wil not to intervene. Eventually, Wil disappeared from the party altogether. When friends noticed he was gone, his vehicle remained parked outside, leading them to believe he would return shortly. He never did.

Vanished Without a Trace

The next morning, Jerry began calling friends looking for Wil.

No one had seen him.

As concern turned to panic, family and friends launched their own search. Then investigators discovered Wil’s Pontiac abandoned in downtown Moscow, roughly a mile away from the party.

Something about the vehicle seemed wrong.

His work keys had been left behind, despite the fact that Wil was known for always keeping them with him. There was a can of Squirt soda inside the vehicle even though friends said he didn’t drink it. The driver’s seat had been pushed back farther than Wil normally positioned it. Most puzzling of all, mud covered portions of the vehicle despite the snowy winter conditions in Moscow at the time.

It appeared someone else may have driven the car after Wil disappeared.

Yet there were no answers.

No body.

No witnesses.

No arrests.

Just silence.

A Discovery in the Woods

For more than three years, Wil’s family lived in uncertainty.

Then, in September 2002, hunters in a remote area of eastern Latah County near Bovill, Idaho, discovered a human skull partially exposed from the ground.

Dental records confirmed the remains belonged to Wil Hendrick.

Additional searching recovered only a jawbone. The rest of his remains were never located. Because of the limited evidence recovered, investigators could not publicly determine an exact cause of death. However, authorities ruled the case a homicide. Someone had murdered Wil and hidden his remains in the remote wilderness.

More than twenty-five years later, no one has been charged.

Investigative Analysis: What Could Have Happened?

As someone studying criminal justice, several possibilities stand out when examining the known facts. These theories are speculative and not established facts.

Theory 1: A Hate Crime Escalated Into Murder

One of the most frequently discussed theories centers on Wil being openly gay in a smaller community during the late 1990s.

Witnesses reported interactions between people attending the two parties that night. If a confrontation occurred and emotions escalated, a physical assault could have resulted in an accidental or intentional killing. The subsequent disposal of his body in a remote area would explain why investigators struggled to locate him for years.

The challenge with this theory is the lack of direct evidence connecting any specific suspect to Wil’s disappearance.

Theory 2: Someone Offered Him a Ride

Because Wil’s vehicle was later found parked elsewhere and appeared to have been driven by someone other than him, another possibility is that he voluntarily got into a vehicle with someone he knew.

This person may have been a friend, acquaintance, or someone from one of the parties.

If an argument, robbery, or violent encounter occurred after leaving the party, Wil could have been killed elsewhere before his body was transported to the rural location where the skull was eventually found.

The unusual condition of the vehicle continues to make this one of the strongest possibilities.

Theory 3: A Personal Grudge

Investigators reportedly examined several individuals connected to Wil and Jerry over the years. Criminal justice research consistently shows that homicide victims often know their killers.

Could someone have harbored resentment toward Wil?

Could there have been jealousy, a financial dispute, or a personal conflict unknown to many of his friends?

Without additional forensic evidence, this possibility remains difficult to prove, but it cannot be dismissed.

Theory 4: Multiple People Were Involved

The location where Wil’s remains were found raises another question.

Transporting a body to a remote wooded area, concealing evidence, and moving a vehicle all require time and effort.

Could more than one person have participated?

In many cold cases involving social gatherings, group loyalty and fear of prosecution can prevent witnesses from coming forward. If multiple individuals knew what happened, the truth may have remained buried for decades.

A Family Still Waiting

Wil’s parents spent years searching for answers. His father, himself a law enforcement officer, continued pushing for progress in the investigation until his death. Friends and family have never stopped advocating for the case.

Today, Wil’s murder remains officially unsolved.

The young man who dreamed of acting never got his chance to take center stage. Instead, his story became a mystery that has haunted Idaho for more than two decades.

Someone knows what happened after Wil left that party.

Someone knows why his car was moved.

Someone knows how his remains ended up in the woods.

And somewhere, buried beneath the years of silence, the truth is still waiting to be found.

If you, or anyone you know have any information on this case, please contact the Moscow Police Department at 208-883-7054

Until Every Case is Solved.

References:

KHQ News, Remembering Wil Hendrick: A Cold Murder Case Kept Alive

Unsolved Mysteries Case File: Wil Hendrick

HubPages, Wil Hendrick: 1999 Murder of University of Idaho Student

The Trail Went Cold Podcast, Episode 277