Case Details

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This person was missing Missing Since 05/30/1976

Missing Since:

Missing Since 05/30/1976

Missing From:

Missing From Colorado City, Colorado

Classification:

Classification Endangered Missing

Gender:

Male

Race:

Race White

Date of Birth:

Date of Birth 10/03/1957 (67)

Age:

Age 18 years old

Height and Weight:

Height and Weight 5’9, 150 pounds

Clothing/Jewelry Description:

Clothing/Jewelry Description A green Texaco t-shirt, a coat with the name “Joe” on it, blue jeans and lace-up hiking boots.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Brown hair. Lepley’s right hand is scarred and deformed. He goes by his middle name, Joe, and his nickname is Taco. He has a coppery complexion.

Details of Disappearance:

On May 30, 1976, 18-year-old David Lepley vanished. He was working his shift at a Texaco gas station in Colorado City, Colorado. He started at 6:15 am, but fifteen minutes later, customers found the station empty. His truck was still there, keys in the ignition, but the cash register (with $50-$100 in it) was empty, and the manager’s CB radio was damaged.

Police believe Lepley interrupted a robbery. A suspicious man was seen nearby around 6:30-7:30 am. He was middle-aged, white, with graying sandy hair and blue eyes, driving a flashy silver or white car (possibly a Pontiac Grand Prix) with maroon trim and a homemade-looking trailer. This man is the prime suspect, but he was never identified.

Lepley was a star student, athlete, and class president. He had big plans for the future, including the Air Force and college. His disappearance is considered suspicious.

Charles Humphrey, a college professor, is also linked to the case. He was the prime suspect in the murders of his two wives, and died by suicide before he could be arrested. The timing of his wives’ disappearances/deaths around the time of Lepley’s disappearance makes him a significant suspect.

Despite the gas station being in a busy area on a holiday weekend, no one witnessed anything unusual. The case remains unsolved.

Agency:

Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office 719-583-6400

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