The Disappearance of Roy Vavra

Name: Roy George Vavra
Age: 38 years old
Last Seen: January 24, 2006
Location: Gillette, Wyoming
Status: Still missing

Case Information

38 year old Roy Vavra was last seen in Gillette, Wyoming on January 24, 2006. He was last seen leaving a convenience store at Highway 50 and Force Road with an unknown white male.

Disappearance

On January 24, 2006, Roy Vavra had plans to go hunting with a friend. However, when the friend arrived, Roy was not at his residence. 

He left a note saying he would be back by 11:00 am, their schedule meeting time. However, Roy never returned.

Roy was last seen approximately two miles away from his home later that day, leaving a convenience store at Highway 50 and Force Road with an unknown white male. They left in a small white pickup trick similar to an older model Ford Courier.

Roy hasn’t been seen or heard from since.

Investigation

All of Roy’s personal belongings were left behind at home. “His dog was there and his pickup was there and his wallet and credit cards and checkbook and everything were on his kitchen counter,” his twin sister, Ann Vavra Faris said. “And there was a note on his counter saying to his friend, I will be back at 11. And he signed it.” 

The friend Roy was supposed to go hunting with passed by his house earlier that morning on his way to drop his kids off at daycare. He reports seeing an unfamiliar white flatbed pickup truck in the driveway. When he came back 30 minutes later, both Roy and the truck were gone.

The white male Roy was last seen with is described as mid-30’s with short blonde hair.

Because no signs of a struggle were found at Roy’s residence, investigators believe he knew the person he left with.

In December 2009, 30 year old Jason Duane Larson came forward and confessed to police that he and two other men murdered Roy and buried his body on a ranch near Gillette. He later admitted he made the story up and pleaded guilty to making a false report.

“He had been searching on the Internet for locations where he had lived” Eric Seeman, Lieutenant with the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office stated. “He found on the sheriff’s office website we have a missing person, Roy Vavra, from January 2006. He identified that he was living in Gillette at that time and so he immersed himself into that particular investigation.”

One person of interest in Roy’s disappearance is Troy Doud, a friend of Roy’s. The pair had plans to go into business together, and Roy had given Doud $125,000 toward the proposition.

Roy reportedly changed his mind a few days later, and asked for his money back, leading to conflict between them. According to Roy’s loved ones, Doud claimed he had already spent it. 

There was no verbal agreement to verify the details, however, Doud did later return the full sum to Roy’s parents months after Roy disappeared.

Doud left town shortly after Roy’s disappearance.

In 2019, Doud wrote a letter to the former director of the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, saying he may have information to share.

Doud was serving a life sentence in Texas for murder by then, after being found guilty in the 2013 shooting of Jeffrey Sewalt, a man Doud had loaned money to.

Before sharing information with Wyoming investigators, Doud asked to be transferred to the Wyoming State Penitentiary. No deal was made, and Doud never came forward with any information in relation to Roy’s disappearance.

Doud is currently incarcerated at the Polunsky state prison in Livingston, Texas serving a life sentence for Sewalt’s murder.

Appearance

White male with brown hair (balding) and blue eyes. Roy stands 6’0 tall and weighs 190 pounds. He has a surgical scar on his knee, and a scar on his abdomen.

Clothing & Accessories:
Roy was last seen wearing a light grey sweatshirt with “Marsh Memorial” on the left chest, Wrangler brand jeans, brown/black cowboy boots, black hat with “Classic Ropes” on it, a brown leather western style belt with rawhide accents, and a silver western belt buck with “Team Rope” printed on it.

Investigating Agency

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Roy Vavra please contact the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office at (307) 682-7271.

Agency case number 06-00836

Resources & Further Information

Roy George Vavra – NamUs
Family Picks Up Search For Missing Gillette Cowboy After Nearly 20 Years – Cowboy State Daily
Roy Vavra Disappeared After Leaving a Note Saying He Would Be Right Back – News Nation