Skull unearthed in Utah backyard ID'd as former resident who vanished in 1988

SPANISH FORK, Utah -- The skull and human remains found buried underneath the backyard storage cellar of a Utah home have been positively identified as a woman who vanished in 1988, reports CBS affiliate KUTV.

The Utah Medical Examiner's Office used dental records to confirm that the remains are Peggy Sue Case, who was living at the home with her boyfriend when she vanished.

On Monday, a tenant living there noticed sagging in the cellar's dirt floor and decided to dig with a friend, curious because he heard from a neighbor about Case's disappearance, reports the Salt Lake Tribune.

The two uncovered an apparent human skull wrapped in a blanket and plastic mesh, buried about 18 inches deep, according to the paper, and immediately caleld police.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Case's boyfriend Michael Kufrin is considered a person of interest in the disappearance, which Spanish Fork police say was extensively investigated. Case was last seen at a hot-tub party they both attended on July 9, 1988 in Payson, the paper reports.

Police said they suspected foul play, but had no evidence of a crime.

Spanish Fork detective Carl Johnston told the paper witnesses reported hostility between the two when Johnston accused Case of flirting with some men at the party. The two left together, and Case was never seen again. Kufrin reportedly called Case's workplace to report her sick after the party, and the next day told Case's employers she had gone out of town to buy a car.

Suspicious because the behavior was unlike her, co-workers reported Case missing July 15, 1988. Kufrin initially claimed Case was staying in contact with him by phone, but he later stopped cooperating with police. He reportedly served time in an unrelated attempted theft case before moving back to his home state of Illinois, according to the Tribune.

Police say they know where Kufrin may be and they want to talk to him. 

Investigators say that police dug through the soil in the cellar shortly after her disappearance, but didn't find any evidence.