CA CA - Alan Soper, 22, Sacramento, 7 June 1974

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Wow that would be a hell of a coincidence if it would truly be Alan.
I did however notice that the victim they found are estimated to be between 25 - 31 years, while Alan was 22?

By the way, do I understand it right in that they found the remains already in 1974, buried them, but are now exhuming them again for identification?

I am refering to this part here:
In a news release, Dickinson County Sheriff Gareth Hoffman says the Kansas Bureau of Investigation notified his office of a possible match between unidentified remains found near Upland in Dickinson County in 1974 and a person reported missing from Tulsa, Okla. in 1974.
"Investigation conducted by the sheriff's department determined it necessary to exhume the remains of the unidentified victim to attempt to determine if the remains were in fact the missing person," Hoffman says.
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Picachu said:
Wow that would be a hell of a coincidence if it would truly be Alan.
I did however notice that the victim they found are estimated to be between 25 - 31 years, while Alan was 22?

By the way, do I understand it right in that they found the remains already in 1974, buried them, but are now exhuming them again for identification?

I am refering to this part here:
Click to expand...

Yes, it sounds like they gave the Unidentified remains a burial after autopsy.

ETA: It is pretty common for age estimates to be off by a few years so an age difference of 3 years in not really concerning, IMO.
 
Gardener1850 said:
Yes, it sounds like they gave the Unidentified remains a burial after autopsy.

ETA: It is pretty common for age estimates to be off by a few years so an age difference of 3 years in not really concerning, IMO.
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Thanks. I wonder what it was that made them decide to re-exhume the remains again.

While a bit different, it yet somewhat reminds me of another case, where a victim of serial killer Dean Corll had been misidentified as that of another boy, who ironically was also a victim of Corll. The misidentified remains were sent to the family of that other boy, who then cremated the remains and buried them. Meanwhile, the family of the victim who had in actuality been found already from the start, continued waiting for closure for years and decades, unaware of him already having been found, and it was not until 39 years later that the remains were finally identified correctly thanks to a new investigator and DNA testing, and could finally come home to his true family.
Paradoxically, while that family finally got their son and brother home, the other family in an instant "lost" the "son" they had the whole time thought were theirs and at once found themselves in the shoes of the first family.
A link to the story: http://www.chron.com/news/houston-t...s-in-anguish-for-sister-of-killer-2081906.php

Perhaps, with a bit of luck, Alan can finally come home, too, albeit correctly identified, after all these years.
 
Picachu said:
Thanks. I wonder what it was that made them decide to re-exhume the remains again.

While a bit different, it yet somewhat reminds me of another case, where a victim of serial killer Dean Corll had been misidentified as that of another boy, who ironically was also a victim of Corll. The misidentified remains were sent to the family of that other boy, who then cremated the remains and buried them. Meanwhile, the family of the victim who had in actuality been found already from the start, continued waiting for closure for years and decades, unaware of him already having been found, and it was not until 39 years later that the remains were finally identified correctly thanks to a new investigator and DNA testing, and could finally come home to his true family.
Paradoxically, while that family finally got their son and brother home, the other family in an instant "lost" the "son" they had the whole time thought were theirs and at once found themselves in the shoes of the first family.
A link to the story: http://www.chron.com/news/houston-t...s-in-anguish-for-sister-of-killer-2081906.php

Perhaps, with a bit of luck, Alan can finally come home, too, albeit correctly identified, after all these years.
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The problem is that even though Alan was from Tulsa, California is supposedly his last known whereabouts. I'll be surprised if the remains end up being Alan's.
 
Ozoner said:
The problem is that even though Alan was from Tulsa, California is supposedly his last known whereabouts. I'll be surprised if the remains end up being Alan's.
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It certainly would be an interesting timeline if it turns out to be Alan in Kansas. The only reason I 'm suggesting him is I couldn't find any other young men from Tulsa that disappeared in 1974 and match the description of the UID they are comparing from Kansas. Upland, KS is close to Tulsa, the only thing I can think of is that Alan may have gotten mugged in California (which is why his wallet was found there 3 years later) and maybe he decided to hitchhike back home to Oklahoma. He was close too, if that was him: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Tul...9b1e656db5!2m2!1d-97.0191805!2d39.0888862!3e0

The UID from Kansas is suspected to be the victim of a serial killer. Perhaps whatever info they have for an exhumation came from a confession or more evidence uncovered in that investigation? IDK. I'll be watching this thread and hoping his family can finally have some closure.
 
Alleykins said:
Isn't Kraft still alive? If so, have they asked him to interpret his scorecard? It's not like he's ever going to get out, anyway.
I'm hardly an expert on his whereabouts but 1974 was supposedly dormant for him. Was he in jail or do they think they just haven't found any victims during that time?
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Kraft has never admitted his crimes and refuses to talk about possible victims.
 
The timing is right for the unidentified remains to be him. Would have been about five weeks between his last contact with his family and his death. The information is all off, but only by an inch/a few pounds/etc. and if they only found partial remains, that's not off enough to rule him out IMO.

One of Cecil Henry Floyd's confirmed victims was a hitchhiker that he shot and robbed for $5. It seems like he was a robber first and a killer of convenience/opportunity/to keep anyone from reporting him, so if Alan was trying to hitchhike home and Floyd found him toward the end of the trip, like someone else here suggested, it could absolutely be him.

Here's more on Floyd: http://murderpedia.org/male.F/f/floyd-cecil-henry.htm
 
http://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news...s-his-remains-were-recently-exhumed-in-kansas

There's no guarantee DNA will match the remains to Alan Wayne Soper, who went missing from Tulsa in 1974, but his family says the discovery has brought them new hope.

"It's like everyone's worst nightmares," Michael Soper, Alan's brother said. "You hear about this in the news all the time and you don't think it's going to happen to you, but it can."

The recent discovery is proof of that. Officials say the body could be a victim of serial killer, Cecil Henry Floyd, who admitted to killing 11 people across the country, one of them in Kansas.
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Looks like they are checking to see if the remains are those of Alan Soper.
 
Alleykins said:
Hi Prickly Pear, sorry this is off topic, but did you ever submit Lilian Williams as a match for this JD?
http://doenetwork.org/cases/729ufca.html
I ask because I still don't see this UID in NamUs and was curious.
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I did not. I mentioned her here because I wasn't sure she was close enough to submit as a possibility, and then I was away for a long time for personal reasons. I'm sorry. If you feel she's a close match, please feel free to submit her, though.
 
PricklyPear said:
I did not. I mentioned her here because I wasn't sure she was close enough to submit as a possibility, and then I was away for a long time for personal reasons. I'm sorry. If you feel she's a close match, please feel free to submit her, though.
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I don't mind doing submitting her, no need for apologies. I think it's a good potential match, and you never know.
I'm glad you're back! You have such a cool name.
 
Possibly the UID known as Aptos John Doe? NamUs:https://identifyus.org/cases/3057 and Doe Network pages:http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/2426umca.html. He is estimated to have died months before his discovery on 14 July 1974 and is believed to have been between 16-25 years old, 5'5"-5'8" tall, and had shoulder length hair described as being "reddish-brown". The only demographic off is height but Alan's is within 3 inches of the estimated range. Aptos is approximately 153 miles from Sacramento. Thread: http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?321611-CA-Santa-Cruz-Co-WhtMale-UP3057-16-25-in-wooded-area-off-Valencia-Road-Jul-74.
 
Side-by-sides of the composite for Aptos John Doe and Alan Soper: Aptos John Doe.jpgAlan Wayne Soper.jpg.
 
TheArtfulDetective said:
Assuming it wasn't him since there hasn't been an update regarding this in over a year. I wonder if the body was ever identified?
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He is still unidentified. Alan is currently the only rule out on the list via NamUs for that John Doe.
 
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