Nancy Lynn Shoupp, a 26-year-old mother of two, disappeared under troubling circumstances in the spring of 1990. In the midst of a contentious divorce from her husband of five years, Stephen Shoupp, Nancy had recently begun a new relationship with a coworker. Her marriage had been marked by conflict and allegations of domestic violence. Friends and colleagues reported that Stephen had been harassing Nancy with persistent phone calls and had been following her since their separation.
A particularly distressing incident occurred over the Easter holiday just before she vanished, when Stephen took their two young children to Kansas to visit his mother without informing Nancy, causing her great anxiety. This event reportedly solidified her decision to proceed with the divorce, and she served him with divorce papers just ten days before she went missing.
The last known sighting of Nancy was in the early morning hours of Saturday, April 28, 1990. She had spent the evening with a male coworker in Boulder, Colorado, and left his home around 3:30 a.m. She was expected to drive to her estranged husband's residence to pick up her children by 4:30 a.m. However, Nancy never arrived and has not been seen or heard from since. Her dark green Volvo was later found parked at her own residence in Littleton. Neighbors recalled seeing her vehicle in its usual spot around 7:10 a.m. that same morning. Concern grew when Nancy, a reliable employee at a computer conventions planning company, failed to show up for work without notice. It was her stepmother, not her husband, who ultimately reported her missing.
The investigation into Nancy's disappearance soon focused on her estranged husband, Stephen, who is considered the prime suspect. He told police that Nancy never came to get the children and that he went to her home around 7:00 a.m. but she wasn't there. Instead of attending a planned sporting event with a friend that day, he took the children to the zoo. A few days after her disappearance, Stephen ceased cooperating with investigators. A particularly chilling piece of information came from the couple's three-and-a-half-year-old son, who reportedly told authorities that he saw his father carry a sleeping Nancy to the car and that they went on a long drive down a 'black, bumpy road.' The child's statement included the disturbing detail that his father 'put Nancy 'by a tree' and left her there.' Despite these suspicions and his subsequent conviction for threatening his second wife, no charges have ever been filed in connection with Nancy's disappearance. The case remains an unsolved and painful mystery for her loved ones, who continue to hope for justice and closure.Last Seen: Apr 28, 1990
