Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Thorne was killed when his helicopter crashed while he was searching for a two-year-old girl. After the girl was located Sergeant Thorne started returning to Salt Lake City when he radioed in a distress call and disappeared from radar. The wreckage was located three days later. Sergeant Thorne was a Vietnam War veteran and had been with the agency for 19 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, two sons, and two daughters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-UT-A4627FF8- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Sergeant Thorne gave the Utah Highway Patrol 19 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Utah, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Doyle Reed Thorne served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Sergeant Doyle Reed Thorne is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In UT, 49 of 138 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 35.5% of this state's fallen. That is 4.5 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Utah Highway Patrol, 9 of 16 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 56.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Doyle Reed Thorne's cause is highlighted.
How Doyle Reed Thorne Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Doyle Reed Thorne is highlighted in Jul.
Others Who Wore This Badge
15 officers from Utah Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw.
