Alan Wayne Soper was 22 and a recent Oklahoma State University graduate when he was last heard from on June 7, 1974. He called his family from Sacramento, California, saying he was traveling the country and getting rides by helping truck drivers load and unload cargo. Soper was 5 feet 11 inches and 160 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes; notable features included a wrist scar, a dimple in his left cheek, a cleft chin, and a surgically repaired deviated septum. He was close with his family and girlfriend and had no prior history of disappearing.

Three years later, on June 8, 1977, two boys in Needles, California, found Soper’s clothing and wallet in a desert area near Eagle Pass Wash. The items were weathered and reportedly contained a large sum of money; a search of the area turned up no further trace. Foul play is suspected. If anyone knew Alan’s travel routes, contacts in California in 1974, or has information about truckers who might have given him rides, please come forward.