Full Name: Larry Marvin Morris

Alternative Name: Unknown

Case Status: Missing Person

Record ID#: 3307

*The names “Jane Doe”  and “John Doe” are English names used when the person’s true name is not known. If used above, the name refers to a person of unknown identity.

Date of Birth*: August 18, 1949
Birthplace:
Age at the Time: 24
Age Group: 20s
Gender at Birth: Male
Hair: Brunette
Eyes: Brown
Skin Complexion:
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Nationality: United States
Languages Spoken:

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

Physical Build:

Height:

Weight

Distinguishing Marks:

• Eyeglasses
• Mustache

Medical Condition: Unknown
Physical Abnormality: Unknown
Dental Condition: Unknown
Scars & Other Marks: Unknown
Piercings: Unknown
Tattoos: Unknown

Other Descriptors: Unknown

Clothing

• Unknown

Possessions:

• Unknown

Date of the Disappearance*: April 27, 1974

Description:

Larry Morris, a Tulsa, Oklahoma resident, was working temporarily as a seismographer in Riverton, Wyoming at the time of his disappearance. After completing his brief assignment, he intended to drive back to Oklahoma, with a brief stop at Yellowstone National Park along the way.

Morris was last seen on Friday, April 26, 1974 in Riverton before he left town; it appear from the various articles that he planned to head out sometime Friday night or Saturday morning. There is no clear indication of where he disappeared or that he ever made it to Yellowstone. At the time, he was driving a green 1966 Ford truck.

When Morris failed to report back to work in Tulsa on the following Monday, his employer contacted authorities to report him missing. Police investigated his home but found no signs of foul play or any indication that he had returned from his trip.

Two weeks later, on May 8, Idaho police arrested two men on charges of attempting to rob a country store while armed. One of the men claimed to be Larry Morris. Further investigation revealed the identities of the men as ex-convicts James Franklin Jagers, 26, and Jack Raymond Lincoln, 36. Jagers had been recently released from prison in March, while Lincoln had escaped from a Colorado prison two days before Morris’s disappearance.

The two men had been cellmates at Colorado’s State Penitentiary. Lincoln, a seasoned criminal had been serving a lengthy sentence for theft, larceny, and a prior attempted escape. Upon their arrest, Jagers and Lincoln were found driving a car rented under Larry’s name from San Francisco.

Through further investigation, police were able to trace their movements across several states, including California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming, before they were finally apprehended in Hollister, Idaho. During their arrest, they were in possession of Morris’s credit cards.

Witnesses reported that the two men were seen using the cards in California, Idaho, Nevada, and Wyoming, signing receipts with Morris’s name — states Jagers and Lincoln had also traveled through.

Morris’s truck was found at a repair shop in California, left there by Jagers and Lincoln on April 30. Lincoln’s fingerprints were found on the credit cards, receipts, and inside the truck. While the two men were sentenced to several years for the thefts, they were never charged in connection with Morris’s disappearance or presumed death.

In 1983, Jagers would claim that Morris was dead and that he knew the location of his remains, but no further action was taken. Authorities now believe that Morris was likely robbed on April 26, not long after leaving Riverton. One detective suspects that his remains may be near the highway between Riverton and Dubois, as significant snowfall in Wyoming at the time would have made it difficult for the perpetrators to stray far (Link).

Larry Morris’s disappearance remains unsolved, and his case is still being treated as a homicide.

• April 26, 1974

  Last sighting of Mr. Morris in Riverton, WY. He had been working there as a seismologist on long-distance job trip.

• April 26 – 27, 1974

  Mr. Morris leaves Riverton, WY on his way to Tulsa, OK with a brief stop at Yellowstone National Park (also in Wyoming).

• April 27, 1974

  Mr. Morris credit cards are used by two men (not himself). They sign his name, stealing his identity. He had likely already been robbed and car-jacked; he had disappeared by this point

• April 29, 1974

  Mr. Morris fails to check in with his boss in Tulsa, OK. He is reported missing.

• April 30, 1974

  Jagers & Lincoln abandon Mr. Morris’ truck at a repair shop in San Francisco. They rent another vehicle using Mr. Morris’ name.

Multiple Victims?: No

Rumored or Actual Sightings:

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

Date the Body was Recovered: Unknown

Description: Unknown

Possible Signs Of . . . : Unknown

Time of Death: Unknown

Cause of Death: Unknown

Recovered Remains (if partial): Unknown

Suspected Homicide?: Unknown

Multiple Victims?: Unknown

DNA Tested (No Match): Unknown

*If the date says January 1, this is often just a placeholder for an unknown specific date. It usually means “sometime that year”.

Description: Green 1966 Ford LTD Pickup Truck

License Plate: Oklahoma RO-94

Description: In May 1974 two men (James Franklin Jagers and Jack Lincoln) were arrested for illegal use and possession of Larry’s credit cards and other personal items. Jagers had gotten out of prison in March and had joined up with Lincoln, a former cellmate. Lincoln had escaped from jail in April, two days prior of Larry’s disappearance.

They started by fleeing Colorado where Lincoln had been imprisoned and then traveled through several western states including Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, California, and Wyoming. They likely carjacked Mr. Morris on April 26 shortly after or as he was leaving Riverton.