Gabrielle Britney Ujlaky, 16, went missing from Spring Creek, Nevada on March 8, 2020. Her partially clothed body was found days later and a forensic exam determined she had been raped, strangled and stabbed. DNA from a condom at the scene linked 18-year-old Bryce Dickey to the crime. He was convicted in 2022 after jurors heard evidence including bloody boots and testimony of prior violent behavior, and was sentenced to 70 years in prison.
Nevada Teen Considered Him a 'Big Brother' — Her Friend Was Convicted Of Raping And Murdering Her
Gabrielle (Britney) Lynn Ujlaky and Bryce Dickey mugshotFacebook; Elko County Sheriff's Office
Sixteen-year-old Gabrielle Britney Ujlaky of Spring Creek, Nevada, was reported missing on March 8, 2020. Three days later searchers found her partially clothed body under a tarp on a remote desert road. A coroner's exam determined she had been raped, strangled and stabbed to death.
Investigation and Arrest
Authorities quickly investigated the scene and collected a condom found in the dirt near Ujlaky's body. Forensic testing showed the condom contained a mixture of DNA from Ujlaky and 18-year-old Bryce Dickey, also of Spring Creek. Dickey initially told police he had seen Ujlaky leave in a green pickup driven by a 'tall cowboy,' but investigators soon determined that statement was false.
Charges and Allegations
Prosecutors charged Dickey with open murder with a deadly weapon, or in the alternative, felony murder during a sexual assault or attempted sexual assault while using a deadly weapon. According to the criminal complaint, on the day Ujlaky vanished Dickey allegedly wrapped a ligature around her neck, choked her, raped her and stabbed her repeatedly, inflicting wounds that included a severed carotid artery.
Britney Ujlaky Justice for Britney Ujlaky/Facebook
Trial and Evidence
At trial in 2022, jurors heard that bloody boots were recovered from Dickey's closet and presented as evidence. A witness who had previously dated Dickey testified that he had been violent toward her on multiple occasions and had choked her at least four times. Dickey pleaded not guilty and denied involvement, but the jury convicted him on all counts after roughly four hours of deliberation.
There is no worse betrayal than this, said Gabrielle's father, James Ujlaky, recalling that his daughter had trusted Dickey and regarded him as a close friend and mentor.
Sentence and Remembrance
Dickey was sentenced to 70 years in prison. Friends and family remember Gabrielle as an ambitious teen with big plans — she had talked about joining the Navy to travel and hoped to become a special effects makeup artist and a rodeo queen. Those plans were cut tragically short.
Note: This article summarizes public court records and reporting on the case. Details reflect allegations and the findings presented at trial.
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