Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — A new book is raising awareness about the nearly 30-year-old disappearance and murder of Spanish Fork teen Kiplyn Davis.
The book titled "When an Angel Leaves Your Life" is written by Kiplyn's father, Richard Davis.
"I've been wanting to write it for a long time," Davis said. "I thought it was time to let people know what happened, and how Kiplyn's disappearance changed my life."
The 15-year-old teen was last seen in class at Spanish Fork High School on May 2, 1995.
Over the years, multiple individuals have been charged with crimes related to her death but have never revealed where her body was presumably buried.
According to the Department of Public Safety's Cold Case database, in 2011 Timmy Brent Olsen pleaded guilty to manslaughter and claimed he saw "another individual hit Kiplyn in the head with a rock and helped him move her body but declined to name the other individual."
Olsen's prison sentence is set to expire on Feb. 10, 2026.
According to KSL journalist Pat Reavy, four others — David Rucker Leifson, Christopher Neal Jeppson, Scott Brunson and Garry Blackmore — were indicted in federal court in 2005. They were indicted, "on charges of perjury before a grand jury and lying to a federal agent regarding comments about moving a girl's body and creating false alibis."
"There will never be complete closure. We will never stop missing her," Tamara Davis, Kiplyn's mother said.
"It was really hard. It was hard while I was writing it. I would sit and cry and laugh," Richard Davis said.
Through the book, Richard Davis, with the support of his wife, shares an intimate glimpse into the life of their 15-year-old daughter and her bright personality.
"She was bubbly and loved life and wanted to be the center of attention. She was a friend to everyone," Richard Davis said.
In the book, Richard Davis also shares how Kiplyn's disappearance helped him find his faith.
"I didn't care about God anymore and I took him out of my life … because I was hurt. But her death and my oldest daughter's wedding truly changed how I thought and felt," Richard Davis said. "And it changed me. That's what the book's about."
Then there are the hard chapters which detail Kiplyn's disappearance from school, the men who eventually surfaced as suspects in her murder and hardest of all, not knowing where her body is located to this day.
"It eats at you to have to wonder what happened to her and where she is," Tamara Davis said.
"We don't want revenge. All I want is Kiplyn's body back. That's all we've ever wanted," Richard Davis said.
It's why the Davises have kept their porch light on all these years for the day they find her.
In the book's last chapter, Richard Davis writes that he wishes he "had an ending to this book" as his family clings to hope of one day having closure from finding Kiplyn's body.
"In my book I beg these targets, these three boys, to please come forward, tell us where Kiplyn is. I would be their biggest advocate," Richard Davis said.
All of the proceeds from the book will go toward supporting a scholarship fund in Kiplyn's honor* at Spanish Fork High School. According to Richard Davis, 39 scholarships have been awarded over the years.
"It's our hope that it will continue even after we're no longer here," Richard Davis said.
The Davises also expressed their gratitude for the Spanish Fork community, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and friends who have supported them through the years.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
