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- [00:00]
Fashionista
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- [00:26]
Host
All.
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Fashionista
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Host
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Host
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Carl's Jr. Advertiser
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Host
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Carl's Jr. Advertiser
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- [01:56]
Host
What is going on? True crime fans? I'm your host he.
- [02:00]
Daphne
And I'm your host, Daphne.
- [02:01]
Host
And you're listening to Going West.
- [02:04]
Daphne
Hello everybody. Hope you're doing well today. Today's case was recommended by. I think it's Cassie. It might be Casey. I've never seen it spelled this way. Either way, thank you so much. Big shout out to David, JL and Jasper as well. We've had this case on our list for way too long and diving into it proved to be so much more maddening than we thought.
- [02:26]
Host
Yeah, I mean, seriously, get ready to be pissed off because this case is so frustrating.
- [02:32]
Daphne
And please don't forget to share this one because there are still elements of this case that desperately need attention and justice, and Kipland's family deserves that immensely.
- [02:42]
Host
And we have a lot to discuss today. There is so much to talk about. So without further ado, this is episode 505 of Going West. So let's get into it.
- [03:02]
Daphne
SA In May of 1995, a 15 year old girl left class in a quiet Utah town and was never seen again, vanishing without a trace between periods at school. Her sudden disappearance sent shockwaves through the community and sparked questions that would linger for decades. This is the story of Kiplin Davis. Kiplin Davis was born on July 1, 1979 to Tamara and Richard Davis with two older siblings, a brother named Rory and a sister named Haley. And then the three were later joined by a younger sister named Carissa. The Davises lived in Spanish Fork, Utah, which is one of the many communities surrounding Utah Lake and located just south of Provo in the northern half of the state. Carissa remembers her older sister Kipling with glowing pride and affection, describing her as, quote, outgoing, very social, just a bright, bubbly personality. I still have memories of us going on family trips. Even now I look up to her. Kipland's close friend Becca agreed with this and said, quote, she was so kind to everyone. Just a fun, bubbly personality. She loved to laugh. We would giggle for hours. Kiplin grew up in the Mormon faith and loved attending social activities at her church, but she was also very involved in extracurricular activities at her school. Like, for example, Kipling loved theater and dance and was a fixture in her school's theater department. Actually, at the time of her disappearance, she was assisting with props for the department's upcoming production of the Foreigner. Even though curiously, her missing persons report includes the detail that she was often self conscious about her appearance. I say curiously because I don't know why that would be in there. Her classmates and teachers alike remember that Kipling was always very put together. She loved having her hair and makeup done. And she also had this like striking, precocious sense of self for a 15 year old. Like, her family remembers that she was once asked, if you could be anybody in the world, who would you be? And Kipling apparently said, I'd like to be me. I can't think of anybody I'd rather be than myself. I so reflecting on his daughter's response later, Kipland's dad Richard said proudly, quote, that's who Kipland is. Though Kipland was a normal and well behaved teenager, she did have some normal conflicts with her parents, including a debate over whether or not she should be able to date because Tamera and Richard had barred her from doing so before she was 16, which sadly, is an age that she would never even reach. But to Kipland's delight, even though she wasn't allowed to pursue anybody, she had been garnering some interest from boys around school and had been asked out multiple times in the months leading up to her disappearance. So, you know, it was really tough for Kipland that her parents had this strict rule because she felt ready to take that next step and date.
- [07:05]
Host
Yeah, I mean, she's in high school. I get it that, you know, her parents are trying to protect her, but she's kind of at the age where she's. Where it feels like kids are kind of starting to date, so. And I know they said 16, but obviously she can't help if other boys are asking her out, you know.
- [07:22]
Daphne
Yeah. And if she wants to go out with these boys, well.
- [07:25]
Host
On Tuesday, May 2, 1995, Kiplin woke up much earlier than usual at 4:30am so that she could take her driver's education class. A 15 year old Spanish Fork High School sophomore, she would be receiving her driver's license in just two months when she turned 16 on July 1. But because it was so early, she wound up hitting the snooze button until around 5am when her dad finally came in to make sure she was awake, groggy, and now running kinda behind. Kipland pleaded with her dad to be allowed to just miss one class, but. But he declined. Richard remembers Kipland saying that she was frustrated that she wouldn't have time to do her makeup before this class. But Richard maintained that she needed to follow through with her commitment so that she could get her license that summer. And obviously, since this was the beginning of May, Kiplin and her peers were so ready for summer that was mere weeks away. So waking up early probably felt like it was kind of getting harder and harder as the days went on. But following her dad's orders, Kipland got ready quickly. And when her mom drove her to school, she noticed that she was crying, but assumed she was tired and frustrated by the disagreement with her dad, Richard. Though she reportedly did not ask about this. And devastatingly, this would be the last time she would ever see her daughter. Because Kipland attended her driver's ed class and then she headed to school afterward as usual. But when Richard arrived home for the day hours later at 3:30pm he was confused to hear a voicemail from Kipland's school informing them that she hadn't shown up for her fourth period class or any of her classes after lunch. Richard's concern set in immediately. Just knowing that Kipland was not the type of person that would skip out on school, especially considering that she had already been there and she had attended her morning classes. So where had she gone after lunch? And why? And what made matters more concerning is that Kipland wasn't home, and she hadn't called home to leave a message letting her parents know where she was.
- [09:36]
Daphne
And she really had no reason not to, because the Davis family had cell phones, like, even in 1995. So if she had gotten into trouble somehow or needed a ride, she could have easily contacted her parents. But like you're saying, there was no phone calls, nobody had heard from her. So really, all Tamera and Richard could do was wait, with this increasing sense of panic, for Kipland to get home or at least finally call them to let them know where she was. But around 5pm, when she hadn't done either of these things, they started to call around to her friends just in hopes of, you know, gleaning what had happened at lunch, if anybody had seen her, if she was at a friend's house hanging out. But strangely, no one had any information to offer the Davises. So her parents headed to Spanish Fork High to look for themselves. And here's what they found. All of Kipland's belongings, including her makeup, which we know she loved, were left behind in her locker at school, which was another surefire sign that something wasn't right. Like, it's as if she dropped all of her things there and then vanished. But why would she. If she was going somewhere, why wouldn't she take her stuff? So, also, somehow, no one at school had seen Kiplin, and neither had anybody at her church.
- [10:58]
Host
The really interesting thing here is that if she did leave all those things behind in her locker, it kind of feels clear to me that she was going somewhere during lunchtime and that she was going to come back to school. She had planned on going back to school and finishing up her day.
- [11:13]
Daphne
Yeah, it would make sense to leave all that stuff in her locker if she's like, oh, I'm going to go off campus for lunch and I don't want to lug all my stuff.
- [11:20]
Host
Right.
- [11:20]
Daphne
But then she just didn't come back. And I do want to add that Spanish Fork High School right now in 2025 has about 1,500 students, so roughly 400ish per grade. But I couldn't find the population back in 1995. But that year, the city itself of Spanish fork had only 15,000 residents, and now it has 45,000. So the population has increased a ton, meaning that, you know, the school's population was most certainly not as high as 1500 back then. But it doesn't seem like it was necessarily so small that Kipling couldn't have gone by unnoticed. You know, I mean, this was a little bit bigger than the town you grew up in, Heath. And did you feel like there was a lot of kids at your school?
- [12:05]
Host
No, not really. I feel like there was probably maybe 80 per grade or maybe 90 per grade. I want to say.
- [12:13]
Daphne
Oh my God, I think I had like 600 per grade.
- [12:15]
Host
Yeah. So there, there was not a ton.
- [12:17]
Daphne
Well, either way, she clearly had gone unnoticed whether there was enough kids or not. So I don't even know why I brought that up, but I just still found it so strange that not even her friends knew what happened to her or said, oh yeah, she said for lunch she was gonna go do this. Or we headed out to this spot. Like it was literally nobody knew where she was. But anyway, so after looking around the school and questioning various people, around 7pm her parents called the police to report their 15 year old daughter missing. But as police often do when it comes to teenagers, disappointingly, the Spanish Fork police department downplayed her disappearance to telling the Davis family that she was likely a runaway. Still, police did issue a be on the lookout or Ebola, which, I mean, I can't even imagine how much that would have frustrated them because they tried so many avenues before even going to the police.
- [13:14]
Host
Right. But the police basically just kind of assured her parents that like, hey, you know, I know you guys are freaking out right now, but she's probably gonna be home soon.
- [13:22]
Daphne
Which is like no comfort at all. They're like, okay, well she's been missing all day and we don't know where she is, so we're not just gonna like carry on as nor normal.
- [13:30]
Host
Yeah, that's never any comfort.
- [13:31]
Daphne
So they really just refused to stop there. Her family just took matters into their own hands again that very night, printing out hundreds of flyers and posting them around the city of Spanish Fork, just hoping to spread awareness with her information and picture. Not wasting any time, which I really commend them for, because I feel like maybe other people would say, oh, I mean, I'm not gonna do that. That feels so dramatic to put up missing posters on day one. But this is how weird it was that she was mia, but also her dad Just had this sinking suspicion, actually, as of that day, that Kiplin was dead. And he couldn't stop crying. He couldn't really explain why he was feeling this way. Maybe he was just so afraid that his mind was coming up with the worst possible scenario. But that's part of why they were looking, because they both just felt like something was very, very wrong. So as her family continued to spread the word that evening, they finally spoke to someone who had some information of note to offer them. This is really, like, the first big tip that led them down one particular rabbit hole. Her mom, Tamara, spoke with Kipland's friend Eli, who claimed that he had last seen her at lunch that day, where she had been practicing a dance with a fellow member of the theater department, a teen named Chris Jepsen.
- [14:57]
Host
Now, according to Eli, it seemed like Kipland was enamored with him as they danced together, like maybe she had a little bit of a crush on Chris. So, desperate for more leads, Tamara and Richard pored over Kipland's journals and noticed Chris name mentioned multiple times. And Eli actually said that he last saw Kipland leaving school with Chris Jepsen, though he couldn't be sure where the pair was going. Now, Chris was on the stage crew for the upcoming play and was working the lights, and Kiplin was working backstage as well, so they spent a whole lot of time together. In one journal entry, she mentioned that she had hugged and even kissed Chris despite her family's wishes that she hold off on starting to date until she was, you know, 16. But teens obviously will be teens. And like Daphne said, she felt like she was ready, and she was so close to turning 16. So with this information, Kipland's parents went to Chris home in hopes of getting more information from him, since at this point, it seems like he was the very last person to see Kiplin.
- [16:04]
Daphne
Which is why it's also a little bit odd that in this town of 15,000 people, he hadn't already reported to them. Like, assuming he already knew that she was missing. Word was very much spreading. And he's the last person to see her. At least he did spend time with her. He left campus with her. This is huge.
- [16:22]
Host
Yeah. I mean, if you want to clear your name, just come forward and tell people what you know. Well, Chris's sister, when. When the Davises actually went to his house, she answered the door and claimed that she was the only one home at the time and that Chris wasn't there. But she was also able to explain that Chris had attended A full day of school as usual, and then stayed late after school to run the lights for the rehearsal, which was where he could be found even so late that night. So Richard returned to the school between 10 and 10.30pm but as you can imagine, the school was desolate and Richard didn't believe that many people, if anybody at all, were still inside. So Kipland's parents continued to circle Spanish Fork late into the evening, just hoping for any answers. Around 1am, with still no signs of Chris either, they decided to cruise past Chris house yet again, wondering if maybe they would see him. And they didn't. But they did notice the light on in what they presumed was his bedroom. There was also a truck parked out front that hadn't been there hours before. And this truck belonged to 18 year old David Rucker Leifson, who went by his middle name, Rucker, and he was a classmate and friend of Chris's. So Richard found this exceedingly suspicious, that the boys seemed to be hanging out and they were awake so late into the night. Again, it's 1am on a school night. But not wanting to disturb Chris parents and siblings who are likely asleep at this point, Richard decided to wait until the morning and try to talk to him again. Then in an interview years later, Richard explained, it's one of those values that you hold that you don't disturb people after 10 o' clock at night. That's their private time. They could be in bed and I thought I better not knock. And he later defended this decision by saying we were the ones doing the investigation, the police weren't and we're amateurs, we don't know what we're doing. We've never had a daughter missing before so we don't know the procedures that you go through.
- [18:33]
Daphne
Yeah, I hope he didn't get any flack for that because again, like he's saying he was the one doing this just with his wife and his family.
- [18:41]
Host
I don't think anybody's coming down on Richard. I mean, to be honest with you, he did the right thing.
- [18:46]
Daphne
Also, he had no idea what the hell happened. All he knew was that Chris was at lunch with her. But he's not assuming that Chris did something necessarily.
- [18:54]
Host
Yeah, and his daughter's fucking missing. So you know, if anybody judges him for that, cut him some slack.
- [18:59]
Daphne
Well, let's talk a little bit more about this circle of boys. Rucker's reputation at the high school was pretty mixed. Like according to some of his peers, he could be a bit of a bully and enjoyed parking his oversized pickup truck in the student parking lot and showing it off or like intimidating the other students. But on the other hand, Rucker was a theater devotee with many friends in the program, including Kiplin and Chris Rucker's family. And the Davis family actually used to go to the same church. And Richard, who owns and operated a construction company, did some remodeling for Rucker's family stairs and remembers Kipling and Rucker getting along very well while he was working on the home. So the families did know each other. He wasn't some random kid. Like we've said many times throughout this episode, this is a pretty small city. So they were. The Davises were familiar with Rucker's family. Now, the morning after kipling disappeared, Wednesday, May 3, 1995, Kipling's parents continued to push for assistance from the police. And they managed to enlist the help of the police department school resource officer, Morgan Warner.
- [20:12]
Host
So this guy is just kind of like a liaison school officer, which is.
- [20:16]
Daphne
Just like, this is so messed up. This is the next day and the actual police are still not helping. So they do have a little bit of help. But remember, this is not the actual police. But I will say Morgan had been left a voicemail by Kipland's parents begging him for assistance. So finally, that next day, Morgan addressed Kipland's disappearance with every single class in Spanish for Kai. And according to Morgan, he was suspicious of Chris for from the jump, Chris was this apathetic student with frequent absences who didn't seem to care about his presence there. So again, Morgan is very suspicious of him. He pulls Chris out of his social studies class that day to speak with him further. And he admitted, just like Eli said, that he had been dancing with Kipling during their lunch break the day prior. So he's not hiding that that was true. He's saying, yeah, we were dancing, we were practicing. I did see her at lunch.
- [21:14]
Host
But here's the thing. Chris maintained that he did return to class after lunch to finish out his afternoon like usual, and that he stayed after school for rehearsal and had not seen Kipland since. And he explained that he had been in the auditorium until around 11 o' clock that night, which means that he would have been there when the Davises went back to the school at 10pm he said he had help from Rucker, whom Richard later spotted at his house, as well as another fellow student named Timmy Olson. And because Richard had just visited the school and had not actually gone inside the auditorium, there was no way to be sure that There had been no one left inside and specifically inside this auditorium.
- [21:57]
Daphne
So we don't know if he was telling the truth or not.
- [22:00]
Host
Well, Rucker and Timmy claim that they arrived back at School between 7 and 8pm to meet up with Chris, where the three boys then threw the football around the auditorium and and then left school around 11pm and because they all seemed to be in cahoots and all together throughout that afternoon and evening, the police department's school resource officer, again Morgan, actually suspected the boys involvement in Kipland's disappearance and presumed that Chris, if not all three of them, were lying. But he was unable to prove it, so he was forced to drop it for the time being. Cause also there was another teen boy who fellow students pointed to Brandon Myers, who reportedly had a crush on Kipland and had even asked her out shortly before she went missing. Kipland apparently reciprocated the feelings because she had said yes to this date. Brandon had asked her if she was free that coming Friday. Remember she vanished on Tuesday and they agreed that they would have their first date then, despite her being two months shy of her 16th birthday. But it did turn out that this was kind of a moot point because Brandon rescinded his offer that Monday, just the day before her disappearance, saying that he had already been seeing somebody and that things were kinda getting a bit more serious. So it kinda seems like maybe this other girl found out about him seeing someone else and made him cancel his date with Kipling.
- [23:28]
Daphne
Well, according to Brandon, he remained at school for the rest of the day after she went missing, none the wiser that something was amiss with her. But when investigators double checked his school records, it turned out that he too had missed the rest of his classes after fourth period, just like Kipland. And he even suspiciously asked the other girl that he'd been seeing if she could gain access to the attendance office and change his record for him, but she told him that she couldn't. So Brandon told investigators that he felt guilty about canceling their date and said that he stopped in on his fourth period class very briefly and then left to go find Kipling in order to apologize to her. Which is kind of weird to me because he canceled the date the day prior. So why he during fourth period was suddenly like the next day was suddenly like, oh man, I feel bad about Kipling. I'm gonna go find her. Even though she's should have been in class right now too. It just doesn't really make sense.
- [24:30]
Host
Yeah, it really feels like convenient timing, you know. Like, also just the fact that he was like, hey, can you make sure that, like, the school doesn't know that I miss my classes? Can you change those records? Like, I don't know, a little bit suspicious.
- [24:44]
Daphne
I do get why he would want her to do it, because of course, he doesn't want that to be on his school record. You know, maybe separate from Kipling's disappearance. But it definitely feels like a weird day to do that. So, basically, on top of this, Brandon said that when he couldn't find her, that he decided to blow off the rest of classes for the day, which is just also kind of weird that he was like, okay, now I'm just, well, I'm already out of class. I better just screw off the rest of the day. And then he said that he got a flat tire on his way home and that he had to call his friend to come out and help him. But when police tracked down this friend, he was really confused because he said that Brandon's account was not true, that he didn't help him that day with his flat tire. So, obviously, this is super fishy. But without any other indications that Brandon was involved in whatever happened to Kipland, they weren't getting any valuable information from him. So even though it was weird that he also missed half of his classes that day that he says he spent specifically went looking for Kipland during the first class of the day that she missed, he lied about the flat tire. He continued to maintain his innocence despite being caught in a bold lie. But interestingly, Morgan Warner claimed that he actually did not suspect Brandon's involvement. Because despite confusing some details which could possibly have been an honest mistake, his story hadn't changed.
- [26:19]
Host
And obviously, it was pretty clear that something really did happen to Kiplin as the months passed with no sign or word from her by August. So three months later, the FBI teamed up with the local police force to aid in the investigation into Kipland's disappearance. But frustratingly, with no information from the three teenage boys believed to have been the last people to see her, the case stalled indefinitely. And then, about a year after she went missing, Chris Jepsen randomly stopped by the Davis house to speak with Richard. And it was really weird, because without claiming responsibility or just offering up any new information, Chris simply said that he was sorry that Kipland disappeared and wanted to reassure her parents that he had nothing to do with it. But this check in had the opposite of what was likely Chris desired effect. Because why the hell would he do this? Tamara and Richard felt that his unprompted visit reeked of guilt and couldn't figure out the purpose of why he was there. Chris, who was also Mormon, was headed out on his mission soon, and they kind of felt like maybe he wanted to alleviate his guilt before he left. Strangely, though, he also admitted to and apologized for once being mean to Kiplin, telling her parents that he had handcuffed her to a staircase at Sarah School with a pair of prop handcuffs from the theater department. In a subsequent interview with the FBI, he said, reluctantly, quote, I was an ass in high school. I felt guilty for the way that I had talked to Kipling. It affected me so bad.
- [27:57]
Daphne
Which maybe is true. Maybe knowing she's missing and that likely something horrible happened to her. He was reflecting on his behavior in general. But this just feels so weird.
- [28:07]
Host
It is really weird. And also, you know, it could be that they were playing around and he was pulling a prank on Kiplin at school because they were both in the theater department. But it is very strange to do.
- [28:17]
Daphne
That and that he's just showing up on their doorstep a year later almost like he's ready to confess, but he's not confessing anything other than, oh, yeah, I was a jerk in the past.
- [28:28]
Host
Like, okay, yeah, what do you want me to tell you? Well, Richard rejected this supposed thoughtful drop in and even told Chris that he still suspected that he was involved.
- [28:39]
Daphne
I love that he did that.
- [28:40]
Host
Yeah. He's like, I don't fucking believe you. And when the Davises told police about this, they found it odd as well. So they again grilled the boys, suspecting that they knew more than they were telling. But Chris, Rucker and Timmy were so adamant that they weren't involved that they actually offered to undergo polygraph tests. Detectives spoke with Chris first, and to their surprise, he actually passed. And for reasons unknown to the police, Timmy began to offer up more information unprovoked by detectives. Like, during the written portion of the polygraph, he admitted to seeing Kipland outside of school on the day she disappeared. Then, in a stunning admission, he explained that he and Rucker had taken Kipland to Spanish Fork Canyon in Rucker's truck during what was supposed to be their fourth period, which neither he nor Rucker had ever told police before this, which is huge. That's insane. Like, finally you drop this bombshell a year later, and you're like, yeah, we took her to this canyon. Why didn't you say that before?
- [29:52]
Daphne
Well, here's what Timmy explained. He said that he watched as Kipland and Rucker Walked away from the truck and over the ridge of the canyon and out of sight. And guess what? Rucker apparently returned to the truck without Kipland. And when Timmy asked what had happened, Rucker just told him not to worry about it. And then the boys left without her. So, as you can imagine, investigators were just astounded that Timmy had willingly offered up this information. But it's also really weird because he's saying, yes, we did see her after what we had originally said, and we took her to this spot, and then we left her there. So they're still. He's still not placing direct blame on them. He's saying, oh, yeah, we saw her, we took her here, and then we left. And if something bad happened, it still wasn't our fault. But that doesn't even feel true. It feels like there has to be even more to the story.
- [30:47]
Host
Well, here's the thing. When he was asked for more information, he just panicked and crinkled up the paper that he had written a statement on demanding a lawyer before excusing himself from the interrogation room. So basically, he. He. He just, like, kind of freaked out after telling him this, the police, this little bit of information. But it was a huge bombshell. He couldn't take it back.
- [31:08]
Daphne
Yeah. Because now he's probably like, oh, shit, what have I done? What have I done? Which is the only reason you would crinkle that paper up and leave willingly like that. So police's minds are just blown at this point, and they strongly suspected he and Rucker's involvement in Kipland's disappearance and likely death even more than they did before. But they were unable to detain him as of yet. So police spoke to the third member of their crew, Rucker, finally for his examination. Now, Rucker, shockingly, also passed his polygraph, just like Chris had, which suddenly kind of called into question Timmy's account of things, because it's like Chris and Rucker passed on paper, according to the test. It doesn't seem like they are being deceptive. Like, they're lying about not being involved in Kipling's disappearance. And then here's Timmy, like, freaking out.
- [32:01]
Host
Yeah. And to be fair, obviously, we've talked about polygraph tests a lot on this show. They can be very faulty. So this doesn't really mean a whole lot to me because it does seem like all three of them were involved.
- [32:16]
Daphne
Like, they all know what's going on. But at the very least, police now know that they need to pay extra close attention to Timmy. Now, during the summer of 1996. So the summer after the polygraphs and over a year after Kipling went missing, police continue to work on their case against the boys. Meanwhile, Chris Rucker and some friends one night gathered for a movie night. And there Rucker reportedly raped a young female attendee and later lied about it, leading to one of many counts of perjury that we will very much get into. The Following Summer, in 1997, Rucker and Timmy became engaged in a very public shouting match. On speaker. Spanish Forks, Main Street. Rucker had apparently had enough of the rumors that Timmy was spreading around town that Rucker alone was responsible for Kipling's disappearance. Which is so weird to me that Timmy is going around saying this, because we know, like, Timmy is really sus. Like, we know that he's got. He's got something in his mind that he's not sharing. And so it's like, just shut up.
- [33:25]
Host
I think, yeah, I think all of these boys are sus. But, yeah, Timmy, you got a big mouth, bro.
- [33:29]
Daphne
Yeah, for sure, but. So it's almost like, well, maybe your mouth is so big and wide. Like, maybe.
- [33:36]
Host
Maybe this is all.
- [33:37]
Daphne
Maybe he's saying all this because he is desperate to take the. The attention off himself for a bit.
- [33:43]
Host
He's trying to point a finger in a different direction.
- [33:46]
Daphne
Exactly. Which is, as we know, many guilty people do. Well, according to later court documents, Rucker was yelling at the top of his lungs during this incident and even said that if there were no other cars on Main street, he would kill Timmy on the spot, threatening to retrieve a gun to do so. Rucker apparently also told multiple friends and acquaintances that he had committed what he called the ultimate crime, but offered no other context. So frustrated. Feeling like they knew who was involved in Kipland's presumed murder, the Spanish Fork Police Department were locked in a waiting game with the three men that they felt sure had committed the crime against her.
- [34:49]
Fashionista
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Host
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Daphne
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Host
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Fashionista
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- [40:04]
Host
Now. As police worked hard to find the culprit or culprits in order to put the painful ordeal behind them and focus on memorializing Kipland, her family made the very difficult decision to have her legally declared dead. So four years after her disappearance, her friends and family held a touching memorial service and erected a grave marker with her name and picture in their local Spanish Fork City Cemetery, which they hoped to eventually use to host Kipland's remains whenever they should be found. Her father, Richard, hoped that the impending anniversary would spark a renewed effort in Kipland's case, and he pleaded with the public and those who may know something around town, including the parents and families of those believed to be involved, Richard said in an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune, quote, if it were their daughter, what would they want the parents to do? I would try to make it Right. Meanwhile, police continued to do what they could without a confession or any forensic evidence. Cadaver dogs were paraded through Spanish Fork Canyon and detectives scoured the ground both on and off the trails, but they never came across any sign of Kipling or her remains.
- [41:17]
Daphne
Yeah, so they're checking the area that Timmy was talking about, the. The area he said that they were.
- [41:22]
Host
With her at, but they just couldn't find anything.
- [41:25]
Daphne
Yeah, she's not there. There' Any sign of her belongings or anything else?
- [41:29]
Host
Well, in 2003, bolstered by what was essentially a written accusation from Timmy Olsen, a grand jury investigation began. Hundreds of people were subpoenaed to testify, including classmates, family members and friends of the three boys central to this investigation. Over the next two years, leading into the 10 year anniversary of Kipland's disappearance, the grand jury heard everything from conjecture to timelines and damning evidence, which was all new. I mean, it was shocking how much their students and peers had concealed over the years. And actually one woman claimed that she saw Rucker threaten Timmy in the aftermath of the written account he had given years prior, explaining that Rucker gave him strict instructions not to bring up his name in the investigation again. And then Chris ex wife, whom he of course married years after Kipland went missing, also came forward with an incriminating piece of information. And she remembered that they had been watching the Mike Myers cult classic so I Married an Axe Murderer. Love that movie.
- [42:36]
Daphne
Love it.
- [42:36]
Host
When she playfully asked him, what's the worst thing that you've ever done? And Chris response like a dumbass was what if I told you I killed Kipland Davis? Now, obviously his wife was completely stunned by this, but Chris immediately walked back his statement and just said that. Oh, I was, I was kidding about that.
- [42:57]
Daphne
A, why would you joke about that? B, what a scary ass thing to say. Like, I just don't see why that would come to your mind to even jest about if you weren't involved. This is years later, you're just watching a movie with your wife.
- [43:12]
Host
Yeah. And it's not even like, even if he wasn't anywhere close to this investigation and he said that, I'd still think it's fucking weird. But the fact that you are literally like a person of fucking interest in this case and you're saying it, that's even more weird.
- [43:29]
Daphne
It's almost like he's desperate to get it off his chest. Finally, an opportunity. I can bring it up again.
- [43:35]
Host
Yeah.
- [43:35]
Daphne
What? It's so odd.
- [43:37]
Host
And a lot of people do that. They Joke when they are really just trying to, like, kind of out themselves for something.
- [43:42]
Daphne
Yeah, he's, like, testing the waters. Well, another account came out that when Kipling's case had come up in discussion at a party years prior, Timmy actually admitted that he knew exactly where her body was and that he had killed her, along with the help of two others, presumably Rucker and Chris. Timmy apparently even added that she had gotten what she deserved. But he was found to have made many shocking statements which came tumbling forward at the inquest of the grand jury. And over the years, witnesses compiled so many others. Like, once he apparently bragged to friends, saying, I know that fucking bitch. I killed her. Another time, he apparently said, I took her, I beat her, killed her, and disposed of her body. Wow, there's a lot of people coming.
- [44:34]
Host
I know this is a lot like, you're telling a lot of people. Big mouth, Timmy.
- [44:39]
Daphne
Big mouth, Timmy.
- [44:40]
Host
Big ass mouth.
- [44:41]
Daphne
But I mean, really, if that many people are coming forward, it's like, are this many people lying and making up quotes to the police? I don't know.
- [44:49]
Host
I don't think they would.
- [44:50]
Daphne
Well, he also once apparently called a friend and asked to stay at the friend's house because the FBI was descending upon him. Knowing that Timmy had killed her, he allegedly said, quote, I did it. I did it. I raped and killed Kipling Davis. Timmy later addressed a group of people at a gathering and, referring to his cohort, said, quote, we all know who did it. We all did it. This. I mean, again, this is a lot of quotes.
- [45:19]
Host
Big mouth, Timmy.
- [45:20]
Daphne
A local woman also claimed that Timmy admitted to her that he was involved.
- [45:25]
Host
Jesus, this guy just can't shut his mouth.
- [45:28]
Daphne
He's, like, funny now.
- [45:29]
Host
Sorry, what is going on, Tim?
- [45:30]
Daphne
I mean, this is horrible, but, dude, really? He also told her that they had buried Kipling in the sand and told her, almost with, like, a hint of remorse, as if he really has any. Come on, quote, it was an accident. We didn't mean to. She's cold, she's alone, she's up in the train tunnels, and they need to go get her. And sadly, as the jurors would learn, it wasn't just Kipland who had fallen prey to Timmy's poor treatment of women. So Timmy had been married twice by the time he was in his late 20s, and both of his wives claimed that he had been physical with them. The grand jury also revealed that Timmy had once gotten into an altercation with a woman about what had happened to Kipland and had eventually punched her in the Stomach, shoved her into a wall, forced her into his vehicle, driven her up to Spanish Fork Canyon. You remember that place? And raped her. Which was eerily similar to what is believed to have happened to Kiplin on the day she disappeared.
- [46:34]
Host
I mean, this is pretty much the same exact thing.
- [46:36]
Daphne
Yeah. He also once came onto another woman, and when she turned him down, he hit her in the head with a flashlight.
- [46:44]
Host
Okay, so not only is Timmy a big mouth, but he's also a big piece of shit.
- [46:49]
Daphne
Yeah, I mean, he's super abusive. There's so many examples of him confessing and hurting women. So ultimately, it seemed as if Timmy had pointed the finger at Rucker all those years ago to alleviate blame from himself, like we said. And Rucker and Chris had passed their polygraph test because maybe they had not actually been the ones to kill Kipland. They had just helped Timmy cover it up. And honestly, I feel like that is what happened here. Personally, I just have a feeling that this was sexually motivated and that Kiplin was killed for either, like, attempting to reject him or them or to cover up the crime of rape.
- [47:30]
Host
Yeah. Either way, I believe that all three were involved as to who actually killed Kiplin. Maybe it was one of them, maybe it was two of them, maybe it was all of them.
- [47:40]
Daphne
But I don't think any of them are fully innocent. And neither does the law, as we're gonna get into right now.
- [47:46]
Host
Exactly. Because Chris, Rucker, and Timmy were all charged with lying to law enforcement. Timmy was found guilty of 15 counts of perjury and was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison. Chris was sentenced to five years, and Rucker was sentenced to four. And guess what, y' all. Chris and Timmy were also charged with first degree murder. In May of 2009, Chris was found guilty of obstruction of justice and pleaded no contest. In February of 2011, Timmy somewhat accepted responsibility, claiming that he witnessed Kipland's murder, though he wouldn't say who had actually carried it out.
- [48:29]
Daphne
God, like, enough of this nonsense already. Just say what happened.
- [48:33]
Host
I know. It's like, we know that you guys were involved. Somebody just tell the truth.
- [48:37]
Daphne
Because this whole time, I mean, all of them, but really especially Timmy, is like, I don't know anything. Okay, here's what happened. I don't know anything. Okay, here's what happened. But you're not actually explaining it all, so just like, jeez, just stop.
- [48:49]
Host
I know. And give the family a break. Like, don't be such an asshole. You're already going to prison. Just tell them what happened. It's horrible, especially because Timmy said that Kiplin had been knocked down and then hit with a rock. Later, the three boys returned, removing her body and placing it in another location, where her body remains today. But, of course, Timmy refused to divulge where this was, probably because it would officially prove that he was the ringleader of this crime. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges and received a 15 year sentence to be served concurrently with his perjury charges. But amid the flurry of arrests and appalling information that was coming to light, the only thing that Kipland's family truly cared about was bringing her home. And they weren't being given that small semblance of peace.
- [49:42]
Daphne
Yeah, like, according to Richard, he pleaded with the central figures in his daughter's disappearance, saying, quote, I just asked him, please, Tim, just tell me where she is. I'll be your biggest advocate if you will. I'll help you in any way I can. All I want to do is just bring her home. Just tell me where she is. And he didn't. And it's so sad because Richard should not be having to offer grace to this horrible piece of shit who is saying he knows what happened. I mean, like you just said, Timmy said that Kipling was hit with a rock and that they moved her body. Okay, so where is she? And he won't tell him.
- [50:21]
Host
I mean, it's just so frustrating. Like, you know, Richard, like we said, you know, the only thing he really wants is just to be able to bury his daughter and, you know, and. And do a memorial for her. And this guy just. He's so. He's so egotistical that he just can't give that last little bit of information.
- [50:41]
Daphne
And police give favors to people all the time. I am sure that he could cut a deal with police if he gave up the location of her remains. I am sure that they would happily do something for him if he would just do that, because they want that so bad. But Timmy has refused to reveal where Kipland's body is concealed to this day. To which Richard added, what about the sleepless nights my family has gone through about where Kipland's body is? Why can't Tim just show us and bring us peace to our family? All our family wants is to bring Kipland home to bury her in a proper place. But through his lawyer, Timmy countered, I've done everything I can. I take responsibility. There's nothing else I can do. There's nothing else I can provide that would change the situation.
- [51:32]
Host
Yeah, there really Is Timmy, just show them where her body is.
- [51:37]
Daphne
That is such a frustrating thing to say of, like, well, I've done all I can do. There's nothing left. There is a huge piece of this that you are purposefully not sharing. Well, Richard wrote a book about the experience entitled when an Angel Leaves yous Life. And the proceeds from this book contribute to a scholarship fund. Timmy was up for parole in 2021, but it was denied on the grounds that he had not acted in good faith by revealing the location of Kipling's body despite having admitted to committing the crime.
- [52:11]
Host
Ha ha. I'm so. That's so funny to me that, like, he literally. Because he won't reveal where Kipling's body is, they're like, yeah, we're not gonna give you parole.
- [52:20]
Daphne
Yeah. Eat shit, dude.
- [52:21]
Host
Yeah.
- [52:22]
Daphne
Well, horrifically, his projected release date still is February 10, 2026, which is just eight months after this episode comes out. Richard maintains, quote, if it takes the rest of my life to find Kipling, I'll do it. Kipling was about 5ft 3 inches tall and weighed about 110 pounds when she went missing. She had blue eyes and curly red hair. On the day she disappeared, she was wearing dark jean shorts, a white crew neck top, and a light blue jean vest with beige stripes on it, along with two silver rings, one of which was shaped like a flower and the other, which was shaped like a shield bearing the letters ctr if you have any information about the disappearance of Kipland Davis or the whereabouts of her remains, please call the Spanish Fork Police Department at 801-804-4500. Thank you so much, everybody, for listening to this episode of Going West.
- [53:37]
Host
Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. Please, please make sure that you share this story. I just. It's unbelievable that we know that these three young men were involved in the disappearance of Kipling, and to this day, they have not told the full story. It is just so frustrating.
- [53:57]
Daphne
It's horrible. And especially because, again, the fact that Timmy is taking responsibility, but not. It's like he's taunting the family.
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- [54:06]
Daphne
Year after year, that he does not disclose the location of her remains. It is truly so cruel.
- [54:13]
Host
And the part of this that doesn't make any sense is that you're already serving the time for this crime. So there is really. If you tell them where the remains are, they already know that you committed the crime. Just tell them. There's no reason to hold back.
- [54:27]
Daphne
He's a selfish piece of shit, you know, so absolutely what can we expect? But we do hope, of course, that Kipling's remains are found soon and her family can actually bury her after 30 plus years. Well now actually we just hit the 30 year anniversary of her disappearance. So thank you again everybody for listening. Cannot wait to hear your thoughts on this. Check out our socials, we're on Instagram at Going West Podcast and we're also on Facebook.
- [54:52]
Host
And real quick, before I let you guys go, Daphne's book Night Watcher is going to come out on July, July 8th. But you can pre order it right now. You can get it on Amazon.
- [55:01]
Daphne
Sorry guys. We're going to remind you of that. Until then, because I really think you guys would love this book. It is a thriller, fiction, novel about a serial killer. And yeah, check it out, it's called Night Watcher.
- [55:14]
Host
All right, so with that guys, for everybody out there in the world, don't be a stranger.
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Daphne
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