Authors: Ross Richardson
Tags: #Biographies & Memoirs, #True Crime, #History, #Americas, #United States, #20th Century
Still Missing: Rethinking the D.B. Cooper Case and Other Mysterious Unsolved Disappearances (28 page)
Again, there is nothing bridging the Lepsy and Cooper cases, except a few strange similarities and a strong physical resemblance of the two main characters. But then again, there’s no “silver bullet” piece of information, in either of the two stories, which eliminates the possibility that Lepsy and Cooper could be the same person . . .
To this day, the D.B. Cooper hijacking remains one of the most intriguing mysteries of our time. It’s the only unsolved hijacking in United States history. Did Cooper survive his jump from the commandeered 727? Was the hijacking actually a suicide attempt, and if so, where is his body? Did Cooper die in the chilly Columbia River, without ever spending a dime of his $200,000 ransom, or is he lying on a beach somewhere, say . . . Mexico perhaps, sipping on a drink and working on his tan?
Eventually, the Lepsy case may lead to the solution of the D.B Cooper case, in one way, or another. If Dick Lepsy is proven not to be the Cooper suspect, then the floodgates will open on a new type of suspect. While in the past, “Cooper Sleuths” seem to have fixated on people who were alive after the hijacking, no one seems to have taken the time to pour through missing persons records and websites in search of men physically similar to the Cooper suspect, who disappeared shortly before the hijacking incident. More than likely, the Cooper suspect is probably someone similar to Lepsy, someone whom through a strange set of circumstances, wasn’t considered a missing person at the time, and also hasn’t been seen since thanksgiving, 1971.
Dick Lepsy, flanked by wife Jackie on the left, and sister Suzanne Darlington Ruggiero on the right with children Christopher, David, Richard and Lisa Lepsy in front.
Dick Lepsy’s daughter Lisa, who still loves and misses her father, believes her father met an unseemly end. The man who loved movies like Dr. Zhivago and Easy Rider, the man who read poetry by Edna St. Vincent Millay, the man who owned records by Billy Holiday and Simon & Garfunkel, the man who loved musicals like West Side Story and Fiddler on the Roof, this man would have come home.
Most people who knew Dick Lepsy agree. Dick Lepsy would have come home, eventually. Most people who knew Dick Lepsy also agree that something must have happened to him. Whether he was murdered, killed himself or died in an accident, no one knows. But something did happen to Dick Lepsy that kept him away from his family. Hopefully the passing of time or publicity of the story of his disappearance will jar the memory of someone who can shed light on this mystery. The truth is out there . . . somewhere.
Afterword
S
omeone somewhere, knows something about the mysterious disappearance of Robert Richard Lepsy. It might be someone in Grayling, Michigan, someone who remembers some obscure piece of information, or maybe it’s an old rumor, something from a long forgotten conversation. Maybe someone remembers the discovery of human remains years ago, in the woods of Northern Michigan, which received little media attention. Or perhaps it’s someone who encountered Lepsy out west and can provide insight to his activities following his disappearance. No one person can solve this mystery, but a group of curious and motivated individuals might be able to.
The same thing can be said about the Block’s and their missing Cessna. Perhaps a hiker encountered some crumpled aluminum while traversing the Huron National Forest and didn’t think anything of it. Maybe a hunter saw a wingtip or the top of an aircraft tail protruding from some secluded swamp. Maybe it was on private land, so they didn’t want to say anything. Fishermen, keep an eye on your depth finders and sonar while you’re fishing. Maybe the Blocks landed their Cessna in one of the many lakes or rivers in the Michigan Region and some alert sportsman will solve the mystery of their disappearance.
There’s no doubt the
Andaste
will eventually be found. Much of the bottom of the Great Lakes is yet unexplored, as is most of our planet’s ocean floor. With the improving technologies of sonar and navigation, equipment is not only becoming more accurate and easy to use, but also more affordable, allowing more people access to the tools needed for underwater survey work. Perhaps a young lady in junior high will read this story of the
Andaste
and create an innovative way to find the wreck site. Maybe a high school student somewhere with a penchant for history, and a desire to become a future underwater “Indiana Jones” will find the clues left behind in newspaper articles of the day and locate the
Andaste
’s final resting place. Time will tell.
The physical description of Dick Lepsy and the D.B. Cooper hijacking suspect are remarkably similar. Perhaps the minor discrepancies between the two, such as perceived age of the hijacker, have kept Lepsy from being considered as a suspect in the hijacking by those who knew him. The fact that he wasn’t officially recorded as a missing person until 2011 may have further hid him away from consideration.
There is no piece of evidence directly connecting Lepsy and Cooper, as well as no activity or contact from Lepsy during the two year gap between his disappearance and the Cooper hijacking. But then again, there’s nothing that says Lepsy and the Cooper suspect couldn’t be one in the same either.
It is very possible that Dick Lepsy and D.B.Cooper are not the same person. If that is the case, then while we can be nearly certain that the Cooper suspect died on November 24, 1971, then the question is: what happened to Dick Lepsy? Where is he? Why hasn’t he ever contacted any of his loved ones? Someone somewhere has a small piece of information that could be the key to answering these questions. Again, this book isn’t about Dick Lepsy being D.B. Cooper. This book merely compares what is known about the two individuals and asks: “What if”?
I had two goals in mind when I wrote this book. The first goal was to find out what happened to Robert Richard Lepsy, and share that information with his family. The second goal was to locate the Block’s Cessna and help facilitate the return of the Block’s remains to their sons for proper burial. To accomplish these goals, I hope the public becomes interested in these stories, and gets involved by sharing the information with others. The solutions to these mysteries are out there waiting to be found.
If you have any information concerning John & Jean Block, or Dick Lepsy, please email the author at: [email protected]
Acknowledgements
I
would like to acknowledge and thank the following people for their support during the creation of this book:
My family, wife Jennifer, daughter Suzy, sons BJ and Mason and nephew Shaine Ring. Also my mother Ruthe Richardson and my big brother, Bob Richardson, who is also one of my best friends.
Special thanks to those who opened their hearts and shared their stories of the missing and helped with research: John Block, Lisa Lepsy, Karen Tubbs, Suzanne Darlington Ruggiero, Aryn Lepsy, Maryann Hull Larmon, Candice Pond Carver, Glenn A. Catt, Jason McLean, Larry Yoder, Jack Clark.
Cal Kothrade is an amazing artist who is responsible for the artwork on both my book covers, and a he is a proofreader/editor extraordinaire. To see more examples of Cal’s amazing artwork, please visit:
www.calsworld.net
Pete Sandman, who unfortunately passed away early on in the writing process of this book, and Jeff Sandman, who stepped in to help fill the void left by his father’s passing. Thanks guys, I appreciate it.
And, in no particular order:
My father, the late Terry Richardson, David Trotter, Paul Ehorn, Jim and Nancy Sawtelle, Susan Bays of Arbutus Press, Justin, Megan, Hunter and Keller Reed, Craig Rich, Doug Coffin, Larry McElroy, Dan Friedoff, Shirley Ransom, Kevin Molby, Jordan Riness, Tracy McCutcheon, Greg Gay, Troy, Melanie, Denae Knoll, Bill & Dorothy Miller, Tyler Bergstrom, John & Sandy Nuske and the rest of the crew at Lake Ann Grocery. Justin & Anna Grim, Ron Jolly, Michael Patrick Shiels, Ralph Wilbanks, Captain Steve Howard and Jim Lesto of NUMA, Doug Stanton, Dave Taghon, Steve Wimer II, Jitka Hanakova, Ralph Himmelsbach, Guy McDonald, Doug Bell, Bob Thorpe and Steve Raths of Scuba North, Captain Mike Weede, Tony Gramer, Jennie Block, Jerry Eliason, Jed Jowarski, Roland and Rhonda Ashby, Andy Drasiewski, Karen Meyers, Kathy Firestone, Tracy Woodard, Jim Scholz, David Kuzee, Bob Jahnkee, Joe Revnell, Larry Revnell, Amy Guertler, Jim and Debbie Guertler, Tedra Karnsz, Toby Karsch, Alina Berg, Lorna Moore, Eric O’Brock, Shyam Marar, Larry Martin Jr., Steve Moulds, Sue Nellis & Clem Bence, Gordon Chapman, Roy Robinson, Joseph Ade & family, Chris Doyal, Cory Golden, Alisa Stone Kroupa, Scott Sjoerdsma, Robert Whinnen, Don Gardner, Kathy & Burt Dowsett, George Archer, Bill & Amy Campbell & kids, Jerry Fahselt, Larry & Joylyne Hudson Sanders, Mike & Leota Russell, Kurt & Marsha Bazne, Jeana & Matt Nash, Colin Taylor, Andrew McFarlane, Becky & Steve MacGirr, Craig Dirgo, Chris Kohl, David Swayze, Dennis Hale, Don Roelofs, Dr. Emlyn Brown, Ernie Misch, Gail Holzgen, Steve Mayes, Deanna Tarrow, Mark and Tamal Lindsey, Cleon Ludwig, Bill & Cindy & Kaitlyn Shepard, Carl Harm, Scott Kuesel, John Bell, Claire & Bob Gadbois, Jim Jarecki, Jim Cors, Brian Leiteritz, Kurt Hein, Renee Hamilton, Frederick Stonehouse, Karen Wyhowski Johnson, Tim & Kimberlee VanHeulen, Colin Taylor, Ric Mixter, Michael Angelo Gagliardi, Craig Passeno, Bob Tims, Andy & Amy Yarger, Scott Eaton, Kevin Dykstra and many others.
My fellow members of the Benzie Area Public Safety Dive Team (BAPSDT) past and present, Mike Johnson Chuck DuPont, Lenny Merril, Rod Shammel, James O. Pettengill, Dave Bissell, Craig Mayo, Chris (T-bone) Wooten, and John & Susan Leone of the Platte River Inn.
Kimm A. Stabelfeldt, Brad Friend, Jon Albrech of the GLSRF (Great Lakes Shipwreck Research Foundation) http://
www.ghostships.org
From my MSRA days: Jan Miller, Bob Underhill, Jeff Vos, Todd White, Jack & Valerie Van Heest, Tim Marr, Dave Miesch, and Chuck Larson
My extended family:
Aunt Kathy Pierce, Shanda, Melissa Mark, Michael and Bob. Aunt Sharon McCurdy, Mike, Shelly and Gordon. The Kuzee’s: Jim and Anne, Phil & Linda Houseman and children, Dana and Benton, Cheryl & Kevin Pinckey and Kathie. Dave & Dee Kuzee, David and Christy. Jon & Mary and Jon, Lisa, Julie and Paul. The Crawford’s: Allen, Donna, Angie, April, Joey, Meghan & McKenzie, Kiera and Larry Gloetzner.
About the Author
Author and Shipwreck Hunter Ross Richardson is often thought of as the underwater “Indiana Jones” of America’s mid-west. In 2010 he discovered the wreck of the treasure ship “Westmoreland” which is considered one of the most sought after shipwrecks in the Great Lakes Region. He has dedicated the last two decades of his life to researching, discovering and documenting Great Lakes shipwrecks and missing aircraft.
Richardson, a Benzie County Sheriff’s Department special deputy, volunteers his time as a librarian at the Almira Township Library, located in downtown Lake Ann, Michigan. He is also a volunteer recovery diver for the Benzie Area Public Safety Dive Team.
Previously, Richardson penned the book, “The Search for the Westmoreland, Lake Michigan’s Treasure Shipwreck” and operates a popular website,
www.michiganmysteries.com
, which is dedicated to missing persons, aircraft and maritime vessels.
The author lives in Northern Michigan with his wife, Jennifer, and their children.
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