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E037: David Vernon Lovely
1.6k Plays5 years ago
When David Lovely’s abandoned motorcycle was found by campers in rural Wyoming, his mother and sister knew something terribly wrong had occurred. Decades later, we still don’t know what happened to David nor where he might be.
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Transcript
Introduction and Podcast's Role in Uncertain Times
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome back, Sleuthhounds. I am so happy and excited to be back with you this week. I am also so thankful for each of you and that out of all of the podcasts that are out there, you have decided to spend time with us again this week.
00:00:18
Speaker
You know, some days it just feels so surreal to be surrounded by constant high levels of uncertainty and so much that's out of our control. That something like a podcast episode coming out consistently each week
00:00:34
Speaker
somehow matters. At least it matters to me. I need this podcast. I love this podcast and I think this podcast does good work. That's why Maggie and I are so passionate about it and I hope you are as well. So please continue to listen. Please continue to probe into the uncertain to help find answers.
00:01:00
Speaker
The hope that there can be certainty or closure, a sense of resolution, is something all too familiar for all of us right now. It's the thread that binds.
00:01:12
Speaker
If you're new to coffee and cases, please know that our podcast has changed slightly as our world is, as we say each week, continuing to adjust to this global pandemic. While we are being asked to keep our distance from others, to stay inside when possible, and to not gather in large groups,
00:01:31
Speaker
We ask that you bear with us as our podcast has changed a little as well. Until we can return to normal, take care of yourselves. I know it's hard, but try to see the end goal. Know that things may look different than they did before, but please don't lose faith. Continue to love one another.
00:01:51
Speaker
Thank you for bearing with us and for understanding. We care about you. Stay together, united in the human spirit, even if not physically, and stay safe. Now, onto this week's episode.
Focus on Lesser-Known Cases
00:02:06
Speaker
Maggie and I are always looking for cases to cover in our podcast. We know that covering the big cases, like Madeline McCann, John Bonet Ramsey, Lacey Peterson, those could get us a lot of listens. But Maggie and I care more about answers.
00:02:25
Speaker
We like to cover the cases that normally don't get the publicity. We cannot let cases fade into obscurity because the names get forgotten. Cases like the one I'm going to cover today
00:02:40
Speaker
aren't talked about in a lot of podcasts because it's plagued by an unfortunate common trend that we see in cold cases, a lack of information. I'll be honest, Sleuthhounds, when I research a case, and I'm sure for Maggie it's the same, they're usually upwards of several hundreds of pages, sometimes even thousands, of information that I comb through
00:03:13
Speaker
I only found tens of pages and most was the same information over and over in different words. But just because this episode doesn't have as many details as some, just because there isn't as much to go on does not mean that this case should be ignored. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I put popularity over purpose.
00:03:33
Speaker
for evidence, for details, and in this case
00:03:42
Speaker
Every single person is worthy of acknowledgement. Every missing person needs an advocate. The missing person in this case is no different.
Introducing David Vernon Lovely's Disappearance
00:03:58
Speaker
This is the story of David Vernon Lovely.
00:04:37
Speaker
Welcome to Coffee and Cases where we like our coffee hot and our cases cold. My name is Allison Williams. And my name is Maggie Dameron.
00:04:46
Speaker
We will be telling stories each week in the hopes that someone out there with any information concerning the cases will take those tips to law enforcement. So justice and closure can be brought to these families. With each case, we encourage you to continue in the conversation on our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast, because as we all know, conversation helps to keep the missing person in the public consciousness, helping to keep their memories alive. So sit back, sip your coffee, and listen to what's brewing this week.
00:05:14
Speaker
Before I begin our show today, I wanted to take just a second to remind you about our challenge with the amount of work and heart that Maggie and I put into this podcast.
Listener Engagement and Podcast Growth
00:05:25
Speaker
In addition to our full-time jobs as teachers, we want to not only know in our hearts, and we do, that this adventure of ours is worth it. But I'm not gonna lie, we also need to feel it from you.
00:05:41
Speaker
Much of what Maggie and I do are jobs that we know have value intrinsic value for us because we know we're doing our part to make a difference to make this world better.
00:05:52
Speaker
but they can also sometimes be thinkless jobs. In terms of a podcast, it's easy to feel like we're speaking into a void, which is why we love hearing from you. We want to get to 150 ratings on iTunes, and we can only get there with help from you.
00:06:12
Speaker
Try to set one goal this week, something in your control, and share about our podcast with at least two people. Then we'll be able to reach our goal just a little bit quicker. We currently have 103 ratings, so we are inching closer. But if you haven't taken a second to rate our show on iTunes, you still can. And if you have a few seconds longer, also leave us a few words about what you enjoy most about the podcast.
00:06:42
Speaker
We have listeners from all over the world, so while this is a big ask, we know that you can do it. When we get to 150 ratings, Maggie and I will do another bonus episode. Just make sure that you follow us on social media, Coffee and Cases podcast on Facebook, or at Coffee Cases podcast on Instagram, or as always, listen in each week to know when that bonus episode will air. Now, let's get into our show.
David Lovely's Background and Trip
00:07:10
Speaker
With the hot August sun beating down on them, 19-year-old David Vernon Lovelie, as well as his mother, Jackie Abbot, and his sister began their trek from California to Massachusetts.
00:07:27
Speaker
The family had decided to move to California years ago from Massachusetts and they had just recently decided to move back. So David, for one, was excited. He had missed his friends there dearly and was really looking forward to seeing them again.
00:07:46
Speaker
David's mom and his sister were traveling in a large rider truck, loaded down with all of their possessions, and David followed behind them on his Maroon 1978 Model 1100 Yamaha motorcycle, equipped with a luggage rack, saddlebags, and marked by the California license plate number 8N3477.
00:08:12
Speaker
His friends might give him a hard time at first, the joking jabs about forgetting about them when he arrived back in Massachusetts, but David knew that they would quickly slide back into those easy friendships that they had previously enjoyed. You see, David was kind. He was bright.
00:08:33
Speaker
According to an article by Meghan Cassidy and the Casper Star Tribune, David's mother noted that he loved English literature. Not gonna lie, soft spot in my heart there since I teach literature. I know Maggie will agree.
00:08:49
Speaker
He loved nature, the arts, music, theater, drawing. He was a thinker and a dreamer. David was also an anomaly. Looking at his six foot four frame, one would easily think that he was a formidable athlete.
00:09:08
Speaker
However, David's body was fragile. When he was born, one kidney was too large. A situation which led to many surgeries as a young boy and his mother reported that he was hospitalized for months due to infections, excessive scar tissue,
00:09:27
Speaker
So, while David was now 19 and looked the part of an athlete, the scar across his abdomen was a reminder of the doctor's strict orders that he could never play sports. One strong hit to that scarred area could lead to serious and dangerous complications, even death.
00:09:50
Speaker
Now I give you this background so you understand the why behind the fact I'm getting ready to tell you. David's mother and his sister decided that they would stop their moving van every 30 miles, about 48 kilometers, to check on David.
00:10:10
Speaker
I know nothing about riding motorcycles, so I have no idea how comfortable or uncomfortable that might be to ride one for such a long distance. But I do know that places in the United States like Daytona, Florida have Bike Week, where thousands of bikers take a trek of hundreds or thousands of miles to attend.
00:10:32
Speaker
I can't imagine that comfort is a reason for such frequent stopping to check on David. What I imagine is that his mother was worried about fatigue, about accidents, or about David's health and just wanted to make sure that he was always safe since he wasn't riding in the moving truck with them.
00:10:54
Speaker
Only
Disappearance of David Lovely
00:10:55
Speaker
an act of love or true concern would justify stopping every 30 miles when the total trip that they were about to make from California to Massachusetts was right about 3,000 miles or 4,828 kilometers.
00:11:14
Speaker
On August 5th, 1985, with about 20% of the trip behind them already, David's mother begged them to stop in Salt Lake City, Utah to swim in the Great Salt Lake. Now again, something else I'm not familiar with, but I've never traveled there myself. I am curious
00:11:37
Speaker
about what it would feel like to swim there though. It's a lake with white sandy beaches and it's also a body of water that's three to five times saltier than the ocean. And as many of you might know, the greater the salt level, the greater the upward buoyant force on your body. In layman's terms, the more salt the easier you float. So I'm curious to see if it would feel any different than the ocean.
00:12:06
Speaker
And it was that stop for a quick swim that is one of David's mother's favorite memories of him. As cited in an article by Megan Cassidy, Jackie Abbot, David's mother, said, quote, I was thrilled just to be refreshed by going swimming. The water was perfect and the day was perfect.
00:12:28
Speaker
end quote. But Jackie had gone for the swim alone as the children had trouble finding a parking spot. The memory, her favorite one, came right after. When David came to the lake to retrieve his mother and let her know that his sister couldn't find a place to park the moving truck,
00:12:48
Speaker
He had carried his mother back to his sister in the moving van and she recalls she climbed on the back of his Yamaha. She hugged his back tightly and this is something I do understand. I get
00:13:06
Speaker
the warmth of that feeling. There is nothing better than to just sit in an armchair with my daughter squeezed so tightly between me and the chair that she has to snuggle in close, a constant hug. And as David and his mother drove the short distance to the moving van, she drew herself close to her son and she said to him,
00:13:35
Speaker
We have to do this again someday. Unfortunately, Sleuth Hounds, August 5th, 1985, was also the day on which Jackie Abbott's worst nightmare happened as well. Now, nearly 35 years later, that someday has never come because on that very day, her son David disappeared.
00:14:06
Speaker
When Jackie and her daughter wanted to stop again after that swim for a little bit longer of a stop, only about 80 some miles later in Evanston, Wyoming, David wanted to keep going. Remember, I told you he was excited to get back and this was just another delay.
00:14:26
Speaker
and so he didn't really want to stop again that's one reason but also his bike had been giving him a little bit of trouble and he told his mom and his sister that he wanted to go ahead and ride to the next rest stop and see if there happened to be a mechanic there who could take a look at his bike.
00:14:44
Speaker
Knowing that they would be following right behind, they told David to go ahead of them and hopefully get his bike checked out. David had $150 in cash on him, so that should be enough to get work done.
00:14:58
Speaker
I don't know about you, Sleuthhounds, but even though I grew up before a lot of modern technology, it still seems hard to imagine a time before Google Maps, or at least MapQuest, which is what I grew up having to use. And it's also hard to imagine a time before cell phones. So, you know, without cell phones, with no way of getting in touch with his mother and his sister, when David arrived at the rest stop,
00:15:26
Speaker
He decided to call his aunt, his mom's sister, and give her an update. And that makes sense that she be the person that David called since Jackie, his mother, would call her sister each night to give her an update on their travels.
00:15:42
Speaker
When David called his aunt from a payphone at the rest stop, he told her that he had driven on past his mother and sister because his bike was giving him trouble and that it had indeed broken down on him after he had left his family in Evanston. And he said that he had had to pull over, push it to the side of the road and then push his bike three miles to the Bingo truck stop in Fort Bridger, Wyoming.
00:16:12
Speaker
He told his aunt that a quote rough-looking man with his own bicycle had offered to fix David's bike. He also told his aunt that he was initially scared of this man and some reports that I read say that in the conversation David later added that the biker ended up being a nice guy who fixed his bike without charging him anything for the repair. But other reports just end with the fear.
Initial Investigation and Family's Efforts
00:16:42
Speaker
Either way, though, the man did fix David's bike for him and he asked his aunt to pass along the message that he was going to be continuing on and that he would meet up with his family in Rock Springs. David noted that the man who had fixed his bike had done so without tools and had made it, quote, better than it was. Which, if the bike weren't running at all, then
00:17:08
Speaker
anything would have made it better than it was and that's a turn of phrase that I use all the time when something seems pretty bad and I can make any improvement I say well anything is better than it was so when I read that in the research that's how I take that statement. Meanwhile,
00:17:30
Speaker
David's mother and sister had left Evanston and went to the next rest stop expecting to see David. When they didn't see him, they decided to wait. Maybe he was just running a little bit behind, not to worry. So his mother and sister decided to stay the night in the moving truck, again with an eye out for David.
00:17:53
Speaker
And David's mom, from all accounts I read, stayed awake all night long to keep an eye out in case he rolled in, just knowing that they would see him either that evening or in the morning. Well, when David wasn't there by the next day, his mother Jackie began to get nervous. What if something else had happened or the bike had broken down? So Jackie called her sister and found out from her that David's bike had broken down,
00:18:21
Speaker
but that he had gotten it fixed and was going to meet them in Rock Springs. So relief hit. That's where he was. When they arrived in Rock Springs though, there was still no sign of David. Well, if his bike were fixed, where was he?
00:18:44
Speaker
So they stopped in Rock Springs, as I just mentioned. Then they thought maybe he decided to continue on. So they stopped again in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Then they stopped a few nights in Nebraska.
00:19:01
Speaker
David's mother eventually, when they never caught up with him, decided that the best course of action was to speak to the police. She went to the Nebraska State Police to see if anyone had reported seeing him. She gave them a description of her son, of his bike. They told David's mother, though, that no one matching his description had been seen and there wasn't really much that they could do.
00:19:27
Speaker
After all, David was 19. The fact that he wasn't where he told his mother he would be wasn't an immediate red flag for police.
00:19:37
Speaker
And sadly, because many teenagers run away or they go off the grid for a few days at a time and then return, many reports of missing teenagers just aren't taken seriously, at least not immediately. Assumptions are made. He probably just stopped to have some fun. He wanted a taste of freedom. He'll be back, but for David, they were wrong.
00:20:06
Speaker
but they did get into Jackie and her daughter's head. Maybe David was okay. Maybe he just decided to continue on toward Massachusetts. He was so excited. Maybe when they got to their final destination, they would get there only to see David's smiling face and to be jived with what took you so long comments. But David didn't show up there either.
00:20:34
Speaker
Now, a lot of people in this case might criticize David's mother and sister for continuing on. But even though I initially understood that criticism, ultimately I have to say that I disagree. If I'm honest with myself, I can understand their actions.
00:20:56
Speaker
You know, I want to say that I would have stayed put as a rest area or at least just traveled back and forth to cover the last 90 miles or so, continually looking everywhere for my son.
00:21:11
Speaker
I'll give you a little snippet and it'll explain why I say when I'm being honest with you, I might've continued on too. Just last week, I went to Walmart with my husband, Rodney, to pick up a few groceries. My stepdaughter and her boyfriend waited for us in the vehicle outside, trying to be quick because they were waiting on us. Rodney and I split up the list, even though his list only had three items and mine had closer to 20.
00:21:40
Speaker
the items were on opposite sides of the store so we decided to divide and conquer. As I walked away Rodney said something that sounded like 10 minutes but I couldn't be sure because by the time I turned around to ask what he had said he was already walking away so I thought well I think he said 10 minutes I'll just hurry. So I pushed the cart down the aisles like a mad woman rushing through the list
00:22:08
Speaker
Admittedly, it took me longer than 10 minutes, despite my efforts. It still took me about 25 to find everything. But I went to the checkouts and started looking for Rodney. I looked through all 20 of the checkouts and couldn't find him anywhere. I waited, impatiently, and no husband.
00:22:32
Speaker
So I went in the store where I thought he might be for his items and he wasn't there either.
00:22:40
Speaker
Well, then I thought maybe I took too long and he went on out to the car. So I called my stepdaughter to see if he was already outside and she told me that he hadn't come out yet. Well, after searching again through basically the entire store, I finally found him. Now, I know that that seems inconsequential and small and it is, but my point is that I couldn't even stay in one spot for 10 minutes because I knew he was somewhere.
00:23:10
Speaker
I just had to keep moving to keep myself occupied. I needed to find him. And that's why I say I understand his mom and his sister's thought process. And it had to be, well, if he isn't here, then he has to be somewhere. And we know where he's headed.
00:23:27
Speaker
There is an end destination and they were both traveling on the same route so they must be thinking well eventually we'll cross paths and it could literally be at any moment so let's just continue on. But a second problem plagued the situation as well.
00:23:46
Speaker
With David being from California, heading to Massachusetts, and disappearing in either Wyoming or Nebraska, whose jurisdiction was this? David's sister reports that each of the state police agencies argued that the case should be the responsibility of a different agency.
00:24:14
Speaker
And so that led to even further complications about looking for this missing son. Nine days after David disappeared on August 14th, part of the family's hope disappeared as well. David's motorcycle
Discovery of David's Motorcycle and Further Investigation
00:24:34
Speaker
was discovered in a rural area in Sweetwater County in Rock Springs, Wyoming.
00:24:41
Speaker
Only then did the authorities take the case more seriously. When the bike was found, it was in running condition, had half of a tank of gas, and the keys were still in the ignition. But this begs the question, if the bike were fixed, where was David?
00:25:07
Speaker
Searches of the area produced nothing. No evidence, no body, no David. The only thing authorities had to go on was that the two campers who had discovered David's bike and alerted police also noted that a few days before they found the motorcycle, they had seen someone else on a motorcycle ride away from the general area where they discovered the bike.
00:25:38
Speaker
Unfortunately, they did not get a good look at the biker. Maggie and I have said this before, when you don't know that something is going to be significant until after it has happened, you don't pay attention to the details.
00:25:54
Speaker
the person who drove the other motorcycle out, when the two campers saw that cyclist, they didn't know that that sighting would be significant. So all they recalled is that the person had long dark brown hair and as such could have been a man
00:26:14
Speaker
or a woman. The one distinct detail that they did both remember was that the person's motorcycle was turquoise and chrome, so striking enough colors to stand out in their memory.
00:26:30
Speaker
Was this the same biker as the one from the truck stop who had helped to fix David's bike? We don't know. When police found the bike, they found also David's blue bag and some of his books were stacked neatly beside the bike. No other clues.
00:26:54
Speaker
And that's part of the mystery, Sleuthhounds. I mean, surely if someone had hurt David or abducted him, there would be some sign of a struggle, right? Markings in the dirt, things in disarray, but there just wasn't.
00:27:16
Speaker
and if David had been able to do so then surely in the days between when he contacted his aunt on the 5th and when his bike was discovered on the 14th
00:27:30
Speaker
he would have gone back to town to call his aunt again, even if justice set his mother's mind at ease knowing that she would be wondering where he was. And this fact alone seems to indicate that whatever happened to David likely happened on the 5th or the 6th. Additionally, if something happened to David on the 5th or the 6th,
00:27:56
Speaker
Is it really likely that the biker spotted by the two campers days later can be linked to the disappearance since that person, right, wasn't reported until the 14th and they said, well, we just saw that person a few days earlier. I mean, that would mean that if that biker is the perpetrator, that the biker had stayed near the scene of the crime for several days.
00:28:25
Speaker
Couldn't the person on the turquoise bike be merely a coincidence? I question, though. Of course, it might be a coincidence. Absolutely. Or...
00:28:40
Speaker
The person who committed the crime could have come back to the scene of the crime to see if he or she had left any clues behind, had returned to wipe away footprints, fingerprints, and the like.
00:28:57
Speaker
But
Exploring Theories Behind David's Disappearance
00:28:58
Speaker
then we have to question for what purpose. David, from all accounts, does not seem the type of person to stir up any animosity. The amount of money he had on him, while worth around $300 today, doesn't seem a large enough amount to me to kill someone over. And the bike was worth money as well. And
00:29:22
Speaker
It was left behind in running condition with gas in the tank. It could have easily been driven away, sold for parts.
00:29:33
Speaker
One possibility in my mind as well as that of many who look at this case is that David might have been mugged. He could have fought to protect both himself and the money that he had and in retaliation the perpetrator might have hit David in the stomach thinking that David would merely be
00:29:56
Speaker
incapacitated. However, because of David's medical history, remember he couldn't play sports because of the danger. That punch might have killed him. The bike could have been driven to that remote spot where it was found and arranged there to make it look like David had just walked away from it.
00:30:21
Speaker
If that is the case, then in my mind, I would think that David's body would be elsewhere in Sweetwater County and not hidden in the same place as the bike. But sadly, the little information I could find indicated that there had been heavy rains in the area before the bike was discovered, making it impossible to retrieve fingerprints from the bike itself.
00:30:50
Speaker
Another alternative would be that David had a health emergency or that he was just getting tired and had pulled off the road to rest. Or since David was known to love nature, perhaps there was something intriguing or beautiful in the landscape that drew him from the road. He might have decided to explore and come into trouble. He might have gotten lost or fallen into a ravine.
00:31:17
Speaker
After all, another theory that the gruff-looking man who had fixed his bike was the one to hurt David, well, that wouldn't be very smart, seeing as how there would have been so many people who had seen him helping David at the Bingo truck stop who could provide testimony.
00:31:36
Speaker
What gives me pause in thinking that David had just walked away, though, is how far the bike was off of the main road that campers discovered it. To me, someone unfamiliar with the area, even if David had decided to stop for the night, wouldn't have gone that far off of the beaten path.
00:32:00
Speaker
It seems when the small amount of evidence that we have is weighed, it measures up to one large problem. No theory makes complete sense. Meghan Cassidy reports that it took years after David's disappearance in 1985 before his mother could even put his pictures back up in her home.
00:32:30
Speaker
to
Ongoing Search and Family's Determination
00:32:31
Speaker
be able to look into the eyes of the beloved child that she feared she would never again see in the flesh.
00:32:40
Speaker
She reports that since David's disappearance, quote, family members have revisited the site of his motorcycle, called every David Lovely in the phone book, kept tabs on his social security number usage, and even enlisted a psychic to try and locate him, end quote. Jackie Abbott has tried to explore every possibility to find her baby boy.
00:33:10
Speaker
is the unknown that hurts and haunts her the most. One thing we can do, Sleuth Hounds, is to not let the name of David Vernon Lovely suffer the same fate of slipping into the unknown.
Call to Action for Advocacy and Awareness
00:33:30
Speaker
Share his story with others. Be his advocate. Ask questions of those from the area at the time who might have heard stories. Offer suggestions. Keep his family and your thoughts. And remember our purpose. Always, always keep faith.
00:33:55
Speaker
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Sweetwater County, Wyoming Sheriff's Department at 307-872-6350.
00:34:13
Speaker
Again, please like and join our Facebook page, Coffee and Cases podcast to continue the conversation and see images related to this episode. As always, follow us on Twitter, at casescoffee, on Instagram, at coffee cases podcast, or you can always email us suggestions to coffeeandcasespodcastatgmail.com. Please tell your friends about our podcast so more people can be reached to possibly help bring some closure to these families. Don't forget to rate our show and leave us a comment as well. We hope to hear from you soon.
00:34:42
Speaker
Stay together. Stay safe. We'll see you next week.