He Went Missing After Calling His Family In 1974, And While His Wallet Was Later Found In The Desert, Nobody Knows What Happened To Him
Alan Wayne Soper, born on April 27, 1952, was a college graduate just beginning his life when he went missing in 1974.
After earning a degree in sociology from Oklahoma State University, he decided to leave his home in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and travel throughout the country.
Alan came up with a plan to make this dream possible. He told his parents that in exchange for loading and unloading cargo for truck drivers, he would be able to get rides to his destinations. He’d reportedly left a note at a truck stop close to his house and gotten a response from a truck driver.
Yet, on June 7, 1974, his loved ones heard from him for the last time. That day, Alan, who was just 22-years-old, called his family and detailed how he had gone to Sacramento, California.
In later conversations with police, a truck driver stated that following Alan’s travels to Sacramento, he dropped Alan off in Needles, a California city located in San Bernardino County. The 22-year-old never got in touch with his family again and remains missing to this day.
Three years after Alan vanished, and his parents “heard nothing from their son,” his case was covered by the Needles Desert Star, a newspaper.
The 1977 article said, “The state of Oklahoma, with assistance from the parents, had made an intensive nationwide investigation, and foul play is feared.”
There was a potential break in the case on June 8, 1977. Two young boys from Needles had been walking in a desert region close to Eagle Pass Wash when they stumbled upon clothing and a wallet, both of which were extremely weathered and appeared to have been in the desert for a long time. Additionally, the wallet reportedly had a large sum of money inside.
Authorities launched a comprehensive search effort in the area in hopes of locating any further evidence in regard to Alan’s whereabouts or how his clothing ended up in the desert. Unfortunately, this proved to be unfruitful.
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His parents arrived in Needles on August 3, 1977, and positively identified the clothes and wallet as belonging to Alan. Still, to this day, what exactly happened to him remains a mystery, and he has been missing for over 50 years.
Alan’s case is classified as endangered missing, and foul play is suspected. His DNA and his dental records are available for comparison.
At the time he disappeared, he was five foot eleven, weighed 160 pounds, and had blue eyes and shoulder-length brown hair.
He wore size 10B shoes and had other distinguishing features, including freckles, a dimple on his left cheek, a scar on one of his wrists, and a cleft in his chin.
If alive, Alan would be 72-years-old today. Anyone with information regarding his case is urged to contact the Tulsa Police Department at (918) 596-9333.
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