Date Of Birth:
5/28/1949
Parents:
Edward Mayer Jeppson & Elizabeth Taylor Jeppson (Both Deceased)
Address At Time:
1951 Browning Ave. Salt Lake City, Utah
Missing Since:
Missing From:
Height and Weight:
5'4 & 145lbs
Hair & Eyes:
Blonde & Blue
Wearing:
White Cotton Shirt, Blue Jeans, Reversible Parka (Black on One Side, Blue on Other) Sneakers
Other:
Wore Braces on Top and Bottom Teeth. Reed was a Sophomore at East High School in Salt Lake City.
Martha And The Vandellas
Dancing In The Street (Popular at the Time)
Details of Disappearance
Note: Most every website says he went missing on the 12th. But if they read the news articles it clearly states he went missing after Sunday School. Sunday was on the 11th. The 12th was a Monday. I took for granted everyone would get the date right. I even made a poster with the wrong date. So I am guilty of it too.
Reed was last seen on the 11th of October in 1964 at around 1:30 pm walking his 2 german pointer dogs behind the old St. Mary's of the Wasatch building in Salt Lake City, Utah. Prior to that he had come home from Sunday School and changed his clothes. He changed into some blue jeans, a reversible parka, a white t-shirt, and some gym shoes. His sister Suzanne reminded him of dinner and he was off with the 2 dogs. That was the last time anyone saw him again. It's possible he had up to $40 on him. A lot of the entries on other websites also state both dogs went missing and never found. And that is not correct. One came back after 2 weeks. It's actually in one of the articles. And that is a vital key to the case in my opinion. (Salt Lake Tribune 2-27-65) (Turns out I read that incorrectly. One of the dogs had previously ran away THEN came back. It didn't come back after Reed disappeared.) Law Enforcement was pretty lost in regards to Reed's disappearance. I can't blame them. It looks like they questioned friends and even tried tracking down a lead that he may have went to Kansas City for some reason. They said they exhausted all leads and the case was closed a some years later.
Obviously there is a Foul Play aspect here and I am missing it. Even though I am not seeing it. The newspaper accounts of the time state there is no evidence of foul play. And they even closed the case due to that. However, When the case was reopened in 2010 something obviously changed someone's mind. A member of Law Enforcement said (paraphrasing) "Someone in the community knows something about this case". I think the family believes that too. Law Enforcement searched a gully near Clayton Middle School in 2010. Dog's initially sniffed an area out and hit on something. But nothing was found after they started digging. That was one of the questions I wanted to ask the family. What prompted the change? My personal opinion will likely differ with everyone else's. I think he probably got lost in the elements, Or had an accident and didn't make it out. Most everyone is looking for the "sexy" explanation. Like a child molester or a jealous classmate. (One idiot on YouTube even said something about Mormons and Aliens being responsible) I'd hate to be a child molester trying to pick on this kid. Reed was on the football team and had recently scored his first touchdown. He was a good size too. That would've been a bad idea! Like I said above, In one of the articles it mentions that one of his dogs came back after 2 weeks. I dunno which one that was. According to reports he had one adult and one pup. If I were to guess I'd bet it was the adult. It probably scrounged around for food and eventually made its way back. I mean that part alone makes me believe there was no foul play here. Who's gonna let the dog go after 2 weeks? If you think hard enough you can find a reason for anything. (Yeah I'm dumb) If you look at the picture of St. Mary's at the Wasatch I have above, You'll see how little was actually behind the building when that pic was taken. There is actually nothing behind the building. I don't have an exact date when that particular picture was developed. Since the building was there from 1926 to 1972 it would have to be in that window. I have so many questions I wish I had answers to. I don't believe ran away. If he did, He picked a poor time to do it. And who runs away with two dogs? He could've just left in the middle of the night. He was a popular kid and had every reason to stay. He had a healthy family life as well. If you watch the news story you'll see how strong of a family they are. They have never given up. Unfortunately, I do not think he is still alive. Nor do I believe there was foul play involved at this time. I'm open to it. At this point I just don't see it.
Salt Lake Tribune: October 17th 1964
