Key facts
- Name: Kiplyn Davis
- Born: July 1, 1979, Provo, Utah
- Age at disappearance: 15
- Last seen: May 2, 1995, lunchtime
- Location: Spanish Fork High School, Spanish Fork, Utah
- Height / build: 5’3″, 110 lbs, naturally curly red hair, light blue eyes, freckles
- Status: Still missing — convicted manslaughter; remains never found
- Investigating agency: Spanish Fork Police Department; FBI
Laughing at lunch
On the morning of May 2, 1995, Kiplyn Davis argued with her parents, then walked the eight blocks to Spanish Fork High School for an early driver’s-education class. She was 15, a sophomore, close to getting her license, excited about her older sister’s upcoming wedding.
She went through her morning classes. At lunchtime she sat in the cafeteria with her friends, laughing. That is the last confirmed sighting anyone has of her.
She didn’t show up for fourth period. Or fifth. A close friend first said he’d spoken to her between classes, then changed his story. Everything she owned — her purse, her makeup, her dental retainer, her schoolbooks — sat in her locker. She never came home. Her parents reported her missing that evening when she failed to arrive home.
She was wearing dark denim shorts, a white crew-neck top, and a light blue denim vest with beige stripes. Two silver rings: one shaped like a flower, one a shield engraved “CTR.” She never took them off. They’ve never been found either.
Who Kiplyn was
Kiplyn Davis was born July 1, 1979, in Provo, Utah, to Richard and Tamara Davis. She had a younger sister, Karissa. People who knew her called her a social butterfly — kind to everyone, bright, the center of attention at gatherings. She was self-conscious about her appearance, meticulous about her things. The retainer in the locker, the makeup left behind — those details are what convinced her family, from the first night, that this was not a runaway.
Police initially treated it as a possible runaway. Her parents never believed she’d run: she’d fought with them that morning the way teenagers fight, then gone to school like always — and they believe the delayed public plea for information cost the investigation dearly.
The investigation
Months passed with no clues, and rumors filled the vacuum — her body buried in a local canyon, a train tunnel, under a building. None of it was ever substantiated. Four years after she vanished, her family held a memorial service and placed a marker in her name at the Spanish Fork City Cemetery. There was still no body to bury.
In 2003, U.S. Attorney Paul Warner revived the probe. The breakthrough, such as it was, came in 2009–2011: Timmy Brent Olsen, a former classmate, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in Kiplyn’s death and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Four other men — Garry Blackmore, Christopher Jeppson, Rucker Leifson, and Scott Brunson — were charged with federal perjury and related false-statement offenses in connection with the case; all four were ultimately convicted and served prison time.
Olsen refused to name his alleged accomplices. He refused to say where her remains were. Under a then-new Utah law allowing early parole in homicide cases when an inmate helps recover a victim’s body, cooperating could have qualified him for release years sooner — he was parole-eligible in 2021 but ordered to serve his full term through February 2026 instead. He didn’t take it. At his 2021 parole hearing he declined to elaborate, saying only, “I don’t want anything to be misconstrued, I take it very seriously.” His attorney later said he’d taken accountability, served his time, and wanted to move on. He was released on February 10, 2026, after completing his sentence.
Kiplyn Davis is one of the featured children on the Polly Klaas Foundation’s website. Her NCMEC age-progression shows what she might have looked like at 30. She would be 47 now.
Theories: what might have happened
Murdered by classmates, body hidden. The manslaughter conviction establishes this as fact in the eyes of the court: Kiplyn was killed, and at least one classmate was involved. Supports it: the guilty plea, the perjury charges against four others. Unresolved: where she is. Olsen’s silence is the wall the case has beaten against for fifteen years.
The rumors. Canyon burial, train tunnel, under a building — Spanish Fork has generated them all. None has ever been confirmed, and searches tied to the revived federal probe found nothing.
Could she have run away? Her family never believed it, and the evidence never supported it: the locker full of belongings, the retainer, the rings, the wedding she was excited about, the license she was about to earn. The conviction closed this question.
Have information?
Contact the Spanish Fork Police Department at (801) 798-5070, the FBI at (801) 374-5332, or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678. In an emergency, dial 911.
Timeline
- July 1, 1979 — Kiplyn Davis is born in Provo, Utah.
- May 2, 1995, morning — Argues with parents; attends driver’s ed and morning classes at Spanish Fork High.
- May 2, 1995, lunchtime — Last seen in the school cafeteria with friends.
- May 2, 1995, afternoon — Misses 4th and 5th period; belongings found in her locker.
- May 2, 1995, evening — Reported missing after failing to come home.
- 1999 — Family holds a memorial service; places a marker at Spanish Fork City Cemetery.
- 2003 — U.S. Attorney revives the probe.
- 2009–2011 — Timmy Brent Olsen pleads guilty to manslaughter, sentenced to 15 years; four others charged with federal perjury.
- 2021 — Olsen declines at his parole hearing to reveal the location of Kiplyn’s remains.
- February 2026 — Olsen is released after serving his sentence.
- Today — Still missing; remains never found.
FAQ
Is Kiplyn Davis still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Kiplyn Davis has been missing for more than 31 years. Her remains have never been found.
Was Kiplyn Davis ever found?
No. Despite a manslaughter conviction in her death, no trace of Kiplyn has ever been located.
Who was convicted in the Kiplyn Davis case?
Former classmate Timmy Brent Olsen pleaded guilty to manslaughter and served 15 years, released February 10, 2026, after completing his sentence. Four other men were convicted of federal perjury and related false-statement charges and served prison time. Olsen never revealed where her remains are.
How old would Kiplyn Davis be today?
Kiplyn was born July 1, 1979 — she turned 47 in July 2026.
Why was Kiplyn Davis’s case first treated as a runaway?
She’d argued with her parents that morning and had once mentioned running away. Police initially treated it as a possible runaway and were slow to issue a public plea — a delay her parents believe cost the investigation dearly.
How can I help?
Share this case file. Anyone with information about where Kiplyn’s remains are should contact the Spanish Fork Police Department at (801) 798-5070 or the FBI at (801) 374-5332.
Corrections (October 2026 verification pass)
- Early-parole law claim VERIFIED, reworded for precision. KUTV (Jan/Feb 2026) confirms a then-new Utah law allowing early parole in homicide cases when an inmate helps recover a victim’s body, and that Olsen’s refusal at his 2021 parole hearing cost him early release; he was ordered to serve his full term and released February 10, 2026. “Walk out five years early” was reworded to the verifiable “parole-eligible in 2021 but ordered to serve his full term through February 2026.”
- 2021 hearing quotes flagged. The verbatim quotes (“I don’t want anything to be misconstrued, I take it very seriously”) and the attorney’s “taken accountability… wants to move on” could be traced only to a self-published March 2026 Medium account, not to news transcripts; retained with this caveat.
- Four men’s charges refined. Per the Charley Project and KUTV: all four were charged with federal perjury/false-statement offenses and ultimately convicted and served prison time (not merely “charged”).
- Name spelling: “Garry Blackmore” retained per the Charley Project (“Garry Von Blackmore”); Wikipedia’s “Murder of Kiplyn Davis” uses “Gary Blackmore” — conflict noted.
- “Reported missing by 5 p.m. to care for her little sister” → softened. Wikipedia confirms only “reported missing after failing to arrive home”; the time and reason are unverified.
- “It took two weeks for a public plea” → softened to “slow to issue a public plea”; the two-week figure is unverified.
Sources
- Official / law enforcement: Spanish Fork Police Department (801-798-5070); Utah BCI missing-person entry; FBI (801-374-5332); Polly Klaas Foundation.
- News: Salt Lake Tribune (2008, renewed search); Daily Herald (Utah County); KUTV 2News, “Man convicted in Kiplyn Davis killing to go free while her remains still missing” (Jan 2026) and “What comes next for Timmy Olsen after release” (Feb 2026).
- Reference: Wikipedia, “Murder of Kiplyn Davis” (retrieved Oct 2026); The Charley Project; NCMEC age-progression.
- Media: Stories of the Unsolved, “The Disappearance of Kiplyn Davis” (Sept 2024).
Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.