Joyce LePage

Joyce LePage was a 21-year-old student at Washington State University (WSU) who friends remembered for her ever-present smile and a bit of a goofy side. She and her friend Loretta Salvadalena grew up together in Pasco, Washington, and both went on to attend WSU in Pullman. Joyce was close to her family, and in the summer of 1971, she had written a letter home saying she planned to visit that upcoming weekend for the local hydroplane races.

In the summer of 1971, Joyce, a female student, was enrolled in summer courses and had been secretly staying overnight in Stevens Hall, a women's dormitory on campus that was closed for renovations. She did this to avoid conflict with her male roommate at her off-campus apartment. On the evening of July 22, 1971, after a skydiving lesson and a beer with friends in nearby Moscow, Idaho, Joyce was dropped off outside her Pullman apartment around 10 p.m. This was the last confirmed time anyone saw her alive. The next morning, July 23, a custodian at Stevens Hall reported that a five-by-five-foot section of green carpet had been cut out and stolen from a lounge area. Police also found some of Joyce's belongings inside the dorm.

When Joyce failed to arrive at her family’s home in Pasco for the weekend, her family grew concerned. After ten days with no word, her father reported her missing to campus police on August 2, 1971. That same day, authorities located her locked 1966 Dodge Coronet parked on a street near campus. Inside the car were her purse and sandals, but her car keys, student ID, and driver's license were missing. The search for Joyce continued for nine agonizing months.

On April 16, 1972, a mother and her teenage son, who were hunting for gems, discovered partial skeletal remains in a ravine in Wawawai Canyon, about 12 miles west of the WSU campus. The remains were wrapped in the missing square of green carpet from Stevens Hall, along with a plaid blanket and an army blanket. Dental records confirmed the remains belonged to Joyce LePage. Due to the advanced state of decomposition, a definitive cause of death could not be determined. Investigators noted striation marks on her ribcage that suggested she might have been stabbed, but the marks could also have been caused by animal activity. Adding to the uncertainty, none of the blankets or the carpet showed any blood stains, which puzzled investigators.

The Whitman County Sheriff's Office has been investigating Joyce's death as a homicide for over five decades. Sheriff Brett Myers, who has led the inquiry for 30 years, believes foul play was involved. "People don’t die and get rolled up in carpet," Myers stated. "If it’s an accident, why don’t you just call 911?" The investigation has focused on Joyce's roommate, whom she was reportedly trying to avoid. The roommate told police he saw Joyce sleeping on their apartment couch at 8 a.m. on July 23, a claim Sheriff Myers said was impossible since the carpet was reported missing around the same time. According to Myers, the roommate has been uncooperative over the years, has hung up on him during phone calls, and has never been charged in connection with the case.

Joyce’s younger brother, Bruce LePage, recalled the family’s distress when she didn't show up for the planned weekend visit. Her friend Loretta remembered their last conversation just weeks before the disappearance. "I often reflect back on that hour we sat on the edge of the pool," she said. "It was probably just college girl talk. But it was a good conversation." Over the years, investigators have looked at various individuals and theories, but the case has grown cold. DNA testing on the blankets Joyce was wrapped in did not yield any conclusive results.

As of July 2026, 55 years after she vanished, Joyce LePage's homicide remains unsolved. Her family and law enforcement continue to seek the answers that will finally bring her justice. The Whitman County Sheriff's Office asks that anyone with information about the murder of Joyce LePage call them at (509) 397-6266.