Cache County ID man found dead in Logan Canyon; his son was arrested for first-degree murder

LOGAN CANYON, Utah, September 28, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) – The Cache County Sheriff's Office has released the name of a man whose body was found in Logan Canyon on Friday.

The deceased was 77-year-old Dennis Shaw of Logan. His body was transported to the State Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Several search warrants have been or are currently being executed by investigators at two apartments and several vehicles.

Dennis Shaw's son, 33-year-old Clayton Shaw, was sent to prison.

“Clayton was booked into the Cache County Jail on a murder charge. This case remains under investigation and no further details are being released at this time.

“Detectives are asking members of the public who may have information regarding this case or the victim and suspect, as well as Clayton’s black BMW and the victim’s white Ford F 150 truck, to contact investigators.”

The Franklin Basin parking lot is now open, “and we greatly appreciate the public’s patience with our office as we work through this investigation,” the CCSO statement said.

Information can be left on our TIP Line website or by calling 435-755-1100 or using this link, which can remain anonymous.

According to Clayton Shaw's arrest documents, Dennis Shaw's body was found with stab wounds to the chest from a small bladed object.

There was evidence that the murder had taken place elsewhere, and Dennis Shaw had been dragged to the scene next to the snowmobile parking lot in Franklin Basin. The location was approximately 25 miles from the elder Shaw's residence.

On Sept. 15, a domestic violence call was received against Clayton from his roommate, the probable cause statement said.

On Sept. 17, a resident of Dennis Shaw's home, identified in police documents as DS, called dispatch and said Clayton was in the apartment “having a mental health crisis” and he took the person's phone and “threatened him by saying, “I’m trying to find a way to kill you.”

Police officers were able to locate Clayton Shaw by pinging his phone and reportedly found him with a bloody knife in his possession. Dennis Shaw's dog was also found in his son's possession.

A substance believed to be blood was found in the trunk of Clayton's Shaw, and bloody fingerprints were found near the bumper.

Gephardt Daily will have more information as the case develops.