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Murder of Kiplyn Davis

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Kiplyn Davis
BornJuly 1, 1979 (1979-07)
Provo, Utah, U.S.
Diedc. May 2, 1995 (aged 15)
Spanish Fork, Utah, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationSpanish Fork High School
Parents
  • Richard Davis (father)
  • Tamara Davis (mother)
RelativesKarissa Lords (sister) (b. 1986)

Kiplyn Davis (July 1, 1979 — May 2, 1995) was a 15-year-old Spanish Fork high school student who disappeared from her high school campus in Spanish Fork, Utah. She is one of the featured children on the Polly Klaas Foundation website. In 2011, a classmate was convicted of manslaughter in the murder of Davis and sentenced to 15 years in prison. However, the man refused to name his alleged accomplices or indicate where Davis's remains were supposedly concealed.

Disappearance

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Davis, a sophomore, was last seen at Spanish Fork High School in Spanish Fork, Utah. That morning she had an argument with her parents then arrived early to school. She subsequently attended all of her morning classes and was last seen at lunchtime in the school's cafeteria with her friends and classmates. She did not show up for her fourth and fifth period classes. However, one close friend said he spoke with her between fourth and fifth period but later changed his story. All of her personal belongings, including her purse, makeup, dental retainer and schoolbooks, were left in her locker at school and she never returned home for the day. It has been testified that she told friends that she would not be attending activities planned that evening, and in fact, had mentioned it would be better if she ran away. She was reported missing after failing to arrive home at her usual time after school. Within two months, the FBI became involved and treated the case as a possible kidnapping.[1]

After months passed without Davis' return or any clues as to her whereabouts, police began to suspect foul play in her disappearance. Although she had an argument with her parents the day of her disappearance and mentioned running away, her family believes she was murdered. After her disappearance there were various rumors that her body was buried either in a nearby canyon, a train tunnel, under a building, and various other locations, but her remains have never been located. Four years after her disappearance, her family held a memorial service for Davis and put up a marker in her name at the Spanish Fork City Cemetery.[2]

Investigation

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External image
image icon Age progression of Davis to age 30

In 2003, U.S. Attorney Paul Warner revived the probe into Davis's death. The investigation focused on several of Davis's classmates who were suspects or were believed to have knowledge of her disappearance: Timmy Brent Olsen, Christopher Neal Jeppson, Rucker Leifson, Gary Blackmore and Scott Brunson.

Olson and Leifson were charged with her murder.[3] Olsen came under suspicion soon atter Davis's disappearance. During several interviews with law enforcement, he gave dramatically different accounts of when he had last seen Davis and gave two different alibis for his whereabouts at the time of his disappearance.[4]Several witnesses also swore statements claiming Olsen had confessed to sexually assaulting and killing Davis, then hiding her body in a canyon near the Spanish Fork River.[5] During the investigation, at least four women testified Olsen was sexually aggressive or committed sexual assault against them.[4]

On May 6, 2009 the Utah State prosecutors dropped the murder charges against Christopher Neal Jeppson instead of seeking the death penalty. In court he pled no contest to obstruction related charges and ultimately signed an affidavit stating that he does not know the circumstances or cause of Kiplyn Davis's disappearance.[6]

Rucker Leifson pleaded guilty to one count of lying to a grand jury and was sentenced to four years in prison. Gary Blackmore and Scott Brunson have also been found guilty of lying to a grand jury. Their sentences hinge upon their testimony against Olsen.

On June 1, 2009, news of a decision by the judge on a motion to dismiss the murder charge against Olsen was announced. The judge decided to defer any ruling on the motion in the case, stating he had not heard all the evidence from the prosecutors. The court may still call for evidentiary hearing to establish whether there is evidence of death.[7]

On February 11, 2011, Timmy Brent Olsen pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He claimed he saw another individual hit Davis in the head with a rock and subsequently helped move her body, but declined to name the other individual.[8] Although he admitted that he helped move and bury the body, he refuses to tell authorities where the body is located.[9] Olsen was eligible for parole in 2011, but parole was denied after he refused to cooperate in disclosing the location of Davis's remains. He is scheduled to serve his entire sentence and is due for release in February, 2026.[10]

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The crime documentary series Nightmare Next Door released an episode about Kiplyn's disappearance, subtitled Stealing Beauty[11] (season 8, episode 1, air date: January 24, 2014).

Crime podcast Crime Junkie covered Kiplyn’s disappearance in an episode called “MISSING: Kiplyn Davis”.[12]

Youtube Missing Persons Channel "Danelle Hallan" also covered Kiplyn Davis' case.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "FBI Joins Police in Search for Missing Spanish Fork Girl". Deseret News. August 4, 1995. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  2. ^ "A Day for Kiplyn: City, Family Remember Girl who Disappeared in 1995". Deseret News. May 2, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  3. ^ "Salt Lake Tribune - Renewed search for Kiplyn Davis could go on for weeks". Archived from the original on 2008-04-20. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  4. ^ a b https://cases.justia.com/federal/appellate-courts/ca10/06-4307/06-4307-2011-03-14.pdf?ts=1411085483 [bare URL]
  5. ^ "'I did it, I raped and killed Kiplyn'". 28 February 2006.
  6. ^ Sara Israelsen-Hartley (May 7, 2009). "Jeppson pleads no contest to lesser charge in Kiplyn case". Deseret News. Archived from the original on May 11, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
  7. ^ Sara Israelsen-Hartley (June 2, 2009). "Judge issues a no-ruling on the no-body issue in Kiplyn case". Deseret News. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
  8. ^ "Olsen takes plea deal in Kiplyn Davis case". ksl.com. 11 February 2011. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  9. ^ Paul Koepp (Feb 11, 2011). "Timmy Olsen pleads guilty to role in Kiplyn Davis killing". Deseret News. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  10. ^ "Man who refuses to say where he buried Kiplyn Davis ordered to serve full sentence". 22 March 2021.
  11. ^ "Stealing Beauty | Nightmare Next Door". Investigation Discovery. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
  12. ^ "MISSING: Kiplyn Davis – Crime Junkie". Crime Junkie. March 1, 2018.
  13. ^ Hallan, Danelle (September 22, 2018). "SOLVED: Kiplyn Davis: What REALLY happened in the Canyon". Retrieved August 25, 2020 – via YouTube.
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