WY WY - Larry Morris, 24, Riverton, 26 April 1974

5'11" to 6'1", 155-170 lbs, Brown hair, brown eyes



Larry had moved temporarily to Riverton from Tulsa for work only a short time before, driving his green 1966 Ford LTD, with a black vinyl top and Oklahoma tags. He worked for the Seismograph Service Corporation, and on that day he was supposed to head to Yellowstone National Park. His work was soon to have him returning to Tulsa. He disappeared before he could get there, having last been seen on Main Street in town.

A man named James Franklin Jagers had been released from prison in Canon City, Co. on around March 6 of the same year. Jagers's friend and former cell mate Jack Lincoln had escaped on April 24, two days before Larry Morris disappeared. Police found Morris's truck at a repair shop in San Francisco, where it had been dropped off by Jagers and Lincoln on April 30. They then used Morris's credit cards and ID to rent a Ford Mustang, in which they were captured in Idaho on May 8. Charges showed that they had used the vanished man's cards in Jackson, Wyoming (on the date of Morris's disappearance), Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, and California.

A relative told police in 1975 that Jagers had in 1974 borrowed gear to camp in Wyoming.

Jager "refused to be interviewed" regarding Morris for many years, until in 1983 he offered information in exchange for a prison transfer. He stated in an interview that Morris was not alive, and that he could never forget where he'd buried him.

In 2013, several agencies, working together, and including the Riverton PD and the FBI, determined that it was time to file charges regarding the Morris case. Jagers was duly extradited from Ohio. Strangely, the charges were subsequently pleaded down to misdemeanor larceny, and Jagers was released after 144 days in Wyoming on time served.

Charley Project

you used the word "strangely". that is an understatement. Is there anyone else out there who is as interested in this as I am or has any kind of information other than what is posted here? I have my suspicions as to what is going on and I can tell you this...they had enough evidence to prosecute Jagers on the charges and only the county attorney and possibly the "local boys" know why he was released. It seems like they couldn't get him out of town fast enough.

Per the Wyoming DCI:

Missing Person, April 26, 1974, Fremont County, Wyoming: Larry Marvin Morris, age 24, has been missing since 1974. Morris was employed in the Riverton, Wyoming area as a seismograph worker. He was last seen in Riverton on April 26, 1974. Morris was from Tulsa, Oklahoma. His vehicle, a green 1966 Ford pickup with Oklahoma license plates, was later recovered in California. In May, 1974, two men were arrested with credit cards and other items that belonged to Morris. Subsequent investigation indicated his credit cards and property were used in California, Idaho, Nevada, and Wyoming. No body was ever found. No signs of foul play were found at the Morris residence in Riverton, Wyoming. Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact the Riverton Police Department at (307) 856-4891 or the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation at (307) 777-7181.

Click to expand...

Larry is the last blurb on the page: http://wyomingdci.wyo.gov/dci-operations-section/unsolved-cases

Demographics
Missing Age24 Years
Current Age70 Years
First NameLarry
Middle NameMarvin
Last NameMorris
Nickname/Alias--

SexMale
Height5' 11" - 6' 0" (71 - 72 Inches)
Weight155 - 170 lbs
Race / EthnicityWhite / Caucasian

Circumstances
Date of Last ContactApril 27, 1974
NamUs Case CreatedFebruary 2, 2012
Last Known Location Map
LocationRiverton, Wyoming 82501
CountyFremont County

Circumstances of DisappearanceLarry Morris was last seen in Riverton, Wyoming on April 27, 1974. Foul play is suspected in this case. He was employed in the Riverton, Wyoming area as a seismograph worker.
Physical Description
Hair ColorBrown
Head Hair DescriptionDark Brown
Body Hair Description--
Facial Hair Description--
Left Eye ColorBrown
Right Eye ColorBrown
Eye Description--
Distinctive Physical Features
No Known Information

Clothing and Accessories
No Information Entered
Additional Case Info

Transportation
1966 Ford Unknown

StylePickup
ColorGreen
State--
License Plate--
Expiration Year--
Commentsa green 1966 Ford pickup with Oklahoma license plates was later recovered in California.

R/O







The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

Even in 1974, there were carjackings..... good golly. I don't even know how a parent can raise up a child to even think the world revolves around them, just take whatever they want from whoever they want, whenever they want.

Unsolved Cold Cases Facebook post dated 7/31/2016:

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=Larry Marvin Morris missing&epa=SEARCH_BOX

Unsolved Cold Cases

Larry Marvin Morris
#Missing Since: April 26, 1974 from Riverton, #Wyoming
Date of Birth: August 18, 1949
Age: 24 years old

Morris was last seen in #Riverton, #Wyoming on April 26, 1974. He is from #Tulsa, #Oklahoma but was employed in Riverton at the time of his disappearance as a seismograph worker. He planned to go to #Yellowstone National Park before returning to Oklahoma, but apparently never arrived in either place. Morris's green 1966 Ford LTD pickup truck with the Oklahoma license plate number RO-94 disappeared with him. It was later found abandoned in #California.
James Franklin Jagers and Jack Lincoln were arrested with Morris's credit cards and other personal items belonging to him. Jagers was released from prison in #Colorado in March 1974; his former cellmate, Lincoln, escaped from jail in April of that year, two days before Morris disappeared. Morris's credit card was used by someone other than him on multiple occasions in #Idaho, Wyoming, #Nevada and California starting on April 27; witnesses stated two men were using the card and signed receipts with Morris's name. Jagers and Lincoln left Morris's pickup truck in a repair shop on April 30 and rented another vehicle under Morris's name. They were arrested in Idaho on May 8 and were found carrying Morris's credit cards and driving the car they'd rented in his name. Authorities found Lincoln's fingerprints on the credit card receipts and inside Morris's truck.
In 1983, while incarcerated, Jagers offered information about Morris's case in exchange for transfer to a different location. He stated Morris was dead and he knew where the body was buried. The possible deal went nowhere, however. In April 2013, authorities charged Jagers with auto theft and grand larcency in connection with the theft of Morris's car. The charges were reduced to petty larceny in August, however, and Jagers was released immediately with credit for time served. He has never been charged in connection with Morris's disappearance.
Morris has never been found. There were no signs of foul play at his home in Riverton. His case remains unsolved and is being treated as a homicide.
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Riverton Police Department
307-856-4891
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/m/morris_larry.html
https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/13812

What was Larry doing on Main St. in Riverton? Is that where he was staying, having dinner, shopping? Were these two perps hitchhiking maybe? Larry may have offered them a ride. That was pretty common back then. If Larry was headed home to Oklahoma, he would have headed south, not north to Idaho. These perps took the truck, traveled north to Idaho, headed southwest thru Nevada, switched vehicles in California, went east again and were caught back in Idaho. So, who is in Idaho? Who did they know? What was their goal in retracing their steps?

"Morris's credit card was used by someone other than him on multiple occasions in #Idaho, Wyoming, #Nevada and California starting on April 27; witnesses stated two men were using the card and signed receipts with Morris's name. Jagers and Lincoln left Morris's pickup truck in a repair shop on April 30 and rented another vehicle under Morris's name. They were arrested in Idaho on May 8 and were found carrying Morris's credit cards and driving the car they'd rented in his name."

susanmae said:

you used the word "strangely". that is an understatement. Is there anyone else out there who is as interested in this as I am or has any kind of information other than what is posted here? I have my suspicions as to what is going on and I can tell you this...they had enough evidence to prosecute Jagers on the charges and only the county attorney and possibly the "local boys" know why he was released. It seems like they couldn't get him out of town fast enough.

Click to expand...

Hi @susanmae! Are you related to Larry? Are you still working to bring attention to this mystery? Those with insider information can go through the process of becoming a Verified Insider (very easy).

I saw a Facebook post on Investigation Discovery's Facebook page dated 9/30/2013 regarding this case. I've included the link and I think it's okay per terms of service here but if not a moderator will snip it.
https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=Larry Marvin Morris missing&epa=SEARCH_BOX
Investigation Discovery

susanmae said:

you used the word "strangely". that is an understatement. Is there anyone else out there who is as interested in this as I am or has any kind of information other than what is posted here? I have my suspicions as to what is going on and I can tell you this...they had enough evidence to prosecute Jagers on the charges and only the county attorney and possibly the "local boys" know why he was released. It seems like they couldn't get him out of town fast enough.

Click to expand...

This is strongly irritating, even for being an older case.

Cases like this make me not want to play by the rules either.

You have a guy who was found with the guys truck and affects, saying he knows where he is buried. How the hell do you just let it go.

Wyoming Lostnmissing

Jager never paid for his crime of murdering a good man... I hope the family finds the peace they need
rest in peace larry

There are several things I find very odd in this case:
1. LE found Jack Lincoln's fingerprints on the credit cards' receipts and in Morris' truck; he was also a fugitive... However, even with all those evidence, it appears he never faced a charge about Larry's disappearance. He is not even mentioned again and the investigation seems to have been focused on Jager. Maybe as Lincoln was a fugitive they could put him in jail easily and were trying to charge Jager too.
2. However, the charges Jager faced were ridiculous to say the least. He spent 144 days in prision and he practically admitted to have killed Larry (he said he could never forget where he buried him).
3. There wasn't an agreement to locate Larry's body. WHY????
4. The list of rule outs is very weird: We know for sure Jack Lincoln and James Jager were in Wyoming, Nevada, Idaho and California (maybe we can include Utah or Arizona as they may have crossed those states); however, most of the rule outs were from Virginia, 1840 milles away from Riverton, and they also compared him with decedents found in Illinois and Ohio. I don't get the logic of this. Did LE have any evidence to think Jager and Lincoln were in Virginia before leading to California? If they travelled to Virginia, there should be evidences: gas station receipts, etc.
I've found this possible matches:

Larry is still missing




Name: Larry Marvin Morris
Case Classification: Endangered Missing
Missing Since: April 27, 1974
Location Last Seen: Riverton, Fremont County, Wyoming

Physical Description​

Date of Birth: August 18, 1949
Age: 24 years old
Race: White
Gender: Male
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 155 lbs.
Hair Color: Dark brown
Eye Color: Brown
Nickname/Alias: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: He wore a mustache and glasses.

Identifiers​

Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Not available
DNA: Available

Clothing & Personal Items​

Clothing: Unknown
Jewelry: Unknown
Additional Personal Items: Unknown

Circumstances of Disappearance​

Larry Marvin Morris was last seen in Riverton. His vehicle, a green 1966 Ford pickup with Oklahoma license plates was later recovered in California.

In May, 1974, two men were arrested with credit cards and other items that belonged to Morris. Subsequent investigation indicated that his credit cards and property were used in California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Wyoming.

The case is being treated as a homicide. His body was never found.

He was employed in the Riverton, Wyoming area as a seismograph worker.

Investigating Agency(s)​

Agency Name: Fremont County Coroner's Office
Agency Contact Person: Edward McAusalan
Agency Phone Number: 307-856-7150
Agency E-Mail: emcausla@wyoming.com
Agency Case Number: Unknown

NamUs Case Number: 13812
NCIC Case Number: M425179961

Information Source(s)​

NamUs
Freemont County Coroner's Office

Admin Notes​

Added: 1/1/06; Last Updated: 05-18-2022 - By: Htmlcnvtr