‘Crime Junkie’ covers cold case of missing Salt Lake teen
Monday’s episode of the hit true crime podcast “Crime Junkie” explored the mysterious case of Reed Jeppson, a Salt Lake City teen whose disappearance still baffles investigators.
Jeppson vanished on Oct. 11, 1964, after he took his two dogs out for a walk, as the Deseret News reported. Although his family searched tirelessly for him, Jeppson has not been seen since and appears to have vanished without a trace.
The Salt Lake City Police Department stopped investigating Jeppson’s disappearance in 1966 but reopened the case in 2010.
What is ‘Crime Junkie’?
“Crime Junkie” is a true crime podcast started in 2017 by hosts Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat. Since its launch, it has become immensely popular, with over 500 million downloads, according to its website.
It was the top true crime podcast and fifth most popular podcast overall on Spotify last year and is currently the fifth most popular podcast on Apple Podcasts.
“Crime Junkie” is known for taking an empathetic approach to cases and focusing on victims rather than perpetrators, and Monday’s episode is no different. The episode, titled “MISSING: Reed Jeppson” includes information from Jeppson’s own family, including his brother Jon and sister Suzanne.
The episode cited several Deseret News articles written after Jeppson’s case was reopened in 2010, but Flowers noted in the beginning of the episode that the case had very little media coverage in the 1960s.
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Who was Reed Jeppson?
Reed Jeppson was 15 years old at the time of his disappearance. He was a student at East High School and was on the football team, and he had a job delivering newspapers, per the Deseret News.
Reed’s family was close-knit. He had 11 siblings, and his younger brother Dan told the Deseret News that Reed was “a great brother,” protective and outdoorsy, and that he loved his dogs.
Reed Jeppson left home to walk those dogs one Sunday afternoon, and neither he nor the dogs have been seen since.
Jeppson would be 74 years old today. He is white with blond hair and blue eyes, and at the time of his disappearance, he was 5-fee, 6-inches tall and weighed 140 pounds. According to previous Deseret News reporting, he was last seen wearing jeans, a white shirt, tennis shoes and a black-and-blue reversible parka.
What happened to Reed Jeppson?
The Jeppson family began searching for Reed after he left to walk the dogs on Oct. 11, 1964, and didn’t return for family dinner. When his case was reopened in 2010, Jeppson’s sister, Suzanne Tate, told the Deseret News she believed foul play was involved.
“Our brother Reed did not run away. He was taken against his will,” she said.
“Crime Junkie” details several frustrating aspects of the case, including the period of time when the case was not investigated and the absence of leads.
Although a neighbor found dismembered dog bones in their backyard several decades later, police were unable to identify whether the bones belonged to Jeppson’s dogs, per “Crime Junkie.”
As of now, the case remains open and unsolved. Anyone with any information about the disappearance of Reed Jeppson is urged to contact Salt Lake police at 801-799-3000.
