The Disappearance of Kiplyn Davis

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EARLY LIFE:

Kiplyn Davis was calved successful Provo, Utah, connected July 1, 1979, to Richard and Tamara Davis. Growing up, she was described arsenic a societal butterfly who was benignant to everyone she met. She had a agleam personality, which often led to her being the centre of attraction astatine societal gatherings.

At the clip of her disappearance and presumed murder, Kiplyn was a sophomore astatine Spanish Fork High School.

DISAPPEARANCE:

On the greeting of May 2, 1995, Kiplyn got into an statement with her parents and near to be a driver’s acquisition people astatine the precocious school, located astir 8 blocks from her home. She subsequently attended her greeting classes, and was past seen sitting with her friends successful the schoolhouse cafeteria astir lunchtime.

Kiplyn didn’t be her 4th and 5th play classes, prompting the schoolhouse to interaction her parents. At 5:00 PM, erstwhile she hadn’t returned location astatine her accustomed time, Tamara and Richard reported their girl missing to the Spanish Fork Police Department.

INVESTIGATION:

Kiplyn’s disappearance was initially treated arsenic a runaway case, fixed her property and the information she’d gotten into an statement with her parents that morning. This meant it took 2 weeks for them to contented a nationalist plea for information. Richard and Tamara were speedy to disregard the anticipation their girl had tally away, arsenic she was blessed with however beingness was going. She was adjacent to getting her driver’s license, and she was excited astir her older sister’s upcoming wedding.

A hunt of Kiplyn’s schoolhouse locker recovered she’d near down each of her idiosyncratic belongings, including her retainer, schoolbooks, constitution and purse – not things a miss moving distant would hide to instrumentality with her. When spoken to, 1 of her friends initially claimed to person spoken to the missing 15-year-old betwixt 4th and 5th periods, but helium aboriginal changed his story.

In the weeks pursuing Kiplyn’s disappearance, rumours began to spread, alleging her assemblage had been buried astatine a bid tunnel, successful a adjacent canyon and nether a building. Reports besides emerged regarding a imaginable sighting of her successful a conveyance soon aft she was past seen astatine Spanish Fork High School. Unfortunately, nary of these stories could beryllium confirmed oregon dismissed.

Within 2 months of Kiplyn going missing, the FBI began progressive successful the investigation. However, it wasn’t until 2003 that advancement would beryllium made, acknowledgment to the efforts of US Attorney Paul Warner. His heavy dive into the lawsuit focused connected the 15-year-old’s classmates – Timmy Brent Olsen, David Rucker Leifson, Scott Brunson and Christopher Neal Jeppson – and their friend, Gary Blackmore.

Olsen, Brunson, Jeppson and Leifson were members of the Spanish Fork High School play club, and they had claimed to person been successful the auditorium connected the time Kiplyn went missing. They said they’d been hanging lights for an upcoming performance. This communicative was discounted by a assemblage choir that had been rehearsing successful the country astir the aforesaid time; nary of the members had seen the 4 teenagers that day.

Of the group, Olsen was the 1 to travel nether suspicion the quickest. He’d fixed contradicting stories to investigators, and galore witnesses aboriginal came guardant to accidental he’d confessed to sexually assaulting and sidesplitting the 15-year-old, aft which he’d hid her assemblage successful a canyon adjacent Spanish Fork River. A slightest 4 adjacent claimed he’d been sexually assertive toward them.

As a effect of the renewed investigation, it’s believed Kiplyn was raped and murdered by radical she knew, with Leifson and Olsen alleged to person been the ones responsible. The different 3 are believed to person helped concoct an alibi for the pair.

In 2005, respective indictments were filed against the group:

  •  April – Brunson was charged with perjury and lying to a national agent.
  • August – Blackmore was indicted connected charges of perjury and lying to a national agent.
  • September – Olsen was charged with 15 counts of lying to a expansive jury.
  • October – Jeppson was charged with perjury and lying to a national agent.
  • November – Leifson was indicted connected charges related to perjury.

Jeppson was convicted of 4 counts of perjury connected September 2007, and condemnation to 5 years successful prison. He was aboriginal charged successful narration to Kiplyn’s presumed murder, but reached a plea woody with prosecutors, pleading nary contention to obstruction of justice. In return, helium could nary longer beryllium charged successful transportation to the 15-year-old’s case.

Brunson struck a plea woody successful December 2005, pleading blameworthy to six counts of perjury and lying to an FBI agent, portion Blackmore made a akin woody and was sentenced to 13 months successful prison. In 2011, the second pleaded blameworthy to 2 much counts of perjury and was sentenced to 36 months probation.

Leifson and Olsen were charged with Kiplyn’s murder, connected apical of their different indictments. The erstwhile pleaded blameworthy to a azygous region of perjury and was sentenced to 5 years successful prison, portion the second was tried and convicted of perjury and sentenced to 12-and-a-half years down bars. He subsequently pleaded blameworthy to first-degree manslaughter successful narration to Kiplyn’s decease and was sentenced to different 15 years.

Olsen alleged he’d saw different idiosyncratic onslaught Kiplyn connected the caput with a softball-sized stone and that, after, he’d helped determination her assemblage to Spanish Fork Canyon. He refused to sanction the individual, lone revealing that they were 1 of the different suspects who’d pleaded blameworthy to perjury, and has ne'er said wherever Kiplyn’s assemblage is located. This prevented him from being granted parole successful 2021, with the Board of Pardons saying helium hadn’t cooperated “in bully faith.”

The hunt for Kiplyn remains active. In the aftermath of her disappearance, her younger sister, Karissa Davis Lords, acceptable up the Find Kiplyn Davis Facebook page, portion her begetter wrote a publication astir the case, titled When an Angel Leaves Your Life. All wealth raised done its merchantability spell toward a assistance money that was acceptable up successful his daughter’s honor.

DETAILS:

Kiplyn Davis went missing from Spanish Fork High School successful Spanish Fork, Utah County, Utah, connected May 2, 1995. She was 15 years aged and was past seen wearing an off-white crewneck with a beige stripe; a airy bluish denim vest with beige stripes and a tiny decorator tag; acheronian bluish Bum Equipment-brand denim shorts; achromatic Colorado-brand leather sandals with cork soles and 3 stripes connected the beforehand and 2 astir the heel; a achromatic Hanes-brand bra; and royal bluish underpants.

She was besides wearing 2 sterling-silver rings, 1 successful the signifier of a angiosperm and the different shaped similar a shield, with the letters “CTR” connected it and flowers connected either side. While she had pierced ears and was expected to deterioration a retainer, she wasn’t wearing it oregon earrings connected the time she disappeared.

At the clip she went missing, Kiplyn stood betwixt 5’2″ and 5’4″ and weighed 110-120 pounds. She had a just complexion, with freckles and curly red/auburn hairsbreadth that fell beneath her shoulders. Her eyes were airy blue, and she had a tiny birthmark connected the backmost of her neck.

CASE CONTACT INFORMATION:

Kiplyn’s lawsuit is presently classified arsenic a non-family abduction. DNA and dentals are available, should her remains beryllium located.

Anyone with accusation is asked to interaction the Spanish Fork Police Department astatine either (801) 798-5070 oregon (801) 804-4700. Tips tin besides beryllium called into the section FBI tract bureau astatine (801) 374-5332.

Image Credit: NamUs/Find Kiplyn Davis

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