Summary
Overview
In July 1971, 21-year-old WSU student Joyce LePage vanished after a skydiving lesson. Her car was found blocks away, her belongings in a dorm she was secretly living in, and a large section of carpet was missing. Nine months later, her remains were discovered wrapped in that carpet at the bottom of a canyon, launching a 55-year investigation that remains unsolved. This episode examines multiple suspects and theories about what happened that fateful night.
Joyce LePage's Summer at WSU
Joyce LePage was a farm girl pursuing summer courses in chemistry and German at Washington State University in July 1971. To avoid her annoying roommate Bruce, she had been secretly staying in Stevens Hall, an off-campus residence being renovated. She was passionate about skydiving, held a pilot's license at 18, and was dating David Arthur, who was in South Africa that summer. Her life was full of promise and adventure.
- Joyce was taking summer courses in chemistry and German at WSU in Pullman, Washington
- She was secretly staying in Stevens Hall to avoid her roommate, using a window to enter and hiding her car from police
- Joyce was into meditation, skydiving, piano, and had gotten her pilot's license at age 18
- She planned to visit family in Pasco for a doctor's appointment and the water follies boat race
" Stevens Hall is being worked on this summer, so I have taken over the building. I play their piano, watch TV, sleep, shower, even bathe in there. It's my private hideaway for the rest of the summer. "
" I even used their hidden parking place that the police can't see from the road. "
The Last Known Hours
On Thursday, July 22, 1971, Joyce attended a skydiving lesson with her friend Hal Wood and his girlfriend Patty. After the lesson, they shared a pitcher of beer at a tavern before dropping Joyce off at her apartment around 10 p.m. This would be the last confirmed sighting of Joyce alive. The next morning, a janitor discovered a large section of carpet missing from Stevens Hall, along with Joyce's purse containing letters from her boyfriend.
- Joyce had a skydiving lesson with Hal Wood and girlfriend Patty on July 22nd
- They went to Spruce Tavern in Moscow for a pitcher of beer after the lesson
- Joyce was dropped off at her apartment around 10 p.m., the last confirmed sighting of her alive
- At 8:22 a.m. on July 23rd, campus police received a call about a 5x5 foot section of carpet cut from Stevens Hall lobby
- Joyce's purse with her belongings and letters was found in the building
" And that is where she is still standing when they take off on their bike. And this would become the last confirmed sighting of Joyce LePage alive and well. "
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