Alan Wayne Soper

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Tulsa Police Department (OK)

Missing From:

Needles, California

Summary:

Alan Wayne Soper was a man who disappeared 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. Soper last contacted his family on June 7, 1974. He said he was in Sacramento, California at the time. Three years later, two boys stumbled across discarded clothing and a wallet in a desert in Needles, California—more than 500 miles away from Sacramento—and turned them in to the police. Significantly, these items were confirmed to belong to Alan.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

After earning a degree in sociology from Oklahoma State University, he decided to leave his home in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and travel throughout the country. 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. On June 7, 1974, 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.

Additional Details:

Days, and then weeks, passed with no word from Alan, leading the Sopers to report him missing. Both law enforcement and Alan's loved ones came to suspect foul play, but with no evidence or viable leads, his case soon went cold. 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. His parents arrived in Needles on August 3, 1977, and positively identified the clothes and wallet as belonging to Alan. One important thing to note is that Alan's billfold still contained a substantial amount of cash – Alan had not been robbed. Unfortunately Alan's belongings no longer exist. In the days before DNA testing and advanced methods of forensic examination they were thrown away by law enforcement who saw no value in retaining them. Phillips 66 happened to employ a man at the time who, as authorities would later discover, was a serial killer. In 2016, it was announced that a murder victim (believed to have been killed by Cecil Henry Floyd) discovered in Kansas in 1974 was going to be exhumed for testing. DNA was taken from Alan's family for comparison, but an analysis ultimately determined that it wasn't him. Sadly, Robert and Juene have since passed away, in 2012 and 2018, respectively. Alan's brother Michael is still alive and searching for answers. His case remains open and unsolved.

Case Last Updated:

Sep 29, 2026