Shivangi Sinha
Lopaz Richardson, a father of two, found himself at an exciting juncture in life with the recent opening of his dream tattoo shop. However, in July 2021, during a regular call to his daughter, he exhibited an unusual demeanor. Concerningly, just two days later, his ex-wife reported him missing when she failed to hear from him. Paramount+’s ‘Never Seen Again’ episode titled ‘Lopaz Richardson- Winning Season’ endeavors to unravel the mystery behind his disappearance and sheds light on the progress made in his case.
Lopaz Richardson’s Car Was Found Abandoned After He Went Missing
Lopaz Richardson’s artistic spirit emerged at a young age when he found beauty in the world around him and endeavored to capture it through his paintings. Growing into a sizable man with a generous heart, he never hesitated to extend a helping hand to others. A friend fondly remembered how Lopaz assumed a mentorship role when the friend expressed an interest in art. During his time at Coahoma Community College, Lopaz crossed paths with Thypence Jenkins, and their connection blossomed into marriage.
Thypence brought a son from a previous relationship into the marriage, and Lopaz embraced the child as his own. The couple later welcomed a daughter, who became the center of his world. Realizing that providing a better life for his family meant relocating, the family made the move from Mississippi to Ohio in Texas. Unfortunately, after the relocation, undisclosed differences led to the couple’s separation. Despite parting ways romantically, Lopaz and Thypence maintained a strong friendship, committed to co-parenting their two children.
Lopaz fulfilled a long-standing dream by opening a tattoo shop in Rosenberg, Texas. As he worked on organizing a gathering for the shop’s opening in July 2021, his behavior took an unusual turn. On July 5, during his customary nighttime call to his daughter, he apologized without a clear reason and uttered an unexpected “goodbye.” This struck Thypence as odd, as he had never used such finality before, and he had previously expressed that goodbye meant they would not be seeing each other again.
Failing to reach Lopaz in the following two days, Thypence took action and filed a complaint with the police on July 8. The subsequent day, law enforcement discovered Lopaz’s abandoned car near Howe, Texas. The location seemed peculiar, as it held no apparent connection to him. Lopaz was nowhere in sight and the last time he was seen by anyone was on July 5.
Lopaz Richardson’s Disappearance is Still Being Investigated
Thypence Jenkins, dissatisfied with what she perceived as a lack of thorough investigation by the police into her ex-husband Lopaz Richardson’s disappearance, took matters into her own hands. She traveled to Rosenberg and conducted her inquiry, arriving at his residence. Requesting access to the security footage, Thypence observed that a few days after he went missing, friends from his motorcycle club forcefully entered the house to retrieve their motorcycles, which were under Lopaz’s care for repairs. This raised suspicions, as such actions seemed unusual, especially when Lopaz was unaccounted for.
Taking matters into her own hands, Thypence visited the location where her husband’s car remained abandoned and conducted her inspection. Despite initial information from the police suggesting the car was empty, Thypence discovered his phone, a digital camera, and his GoPro still inside the vehicle. Upon examining the devices, she realized that all entries after late June had been intentionally wiped clean. Reporting her findings to the police, they revisited the site, uncovering his shoes stuck in the mud.
At this juncture, the police proposed a couple of theories to explain Lopaz’s disappearance. One theory suggested that he might have been driving and encountered an accident. In this scenario, he could have sustained a head injury, wandered into the forest, and collapsed in a location that made it challenging for him to be located. Texas EquuSearch, an organization specializing in locating missing individuals, joined the search efforts, but unfortunately, no signs of Lopaz were uncovered during their operations.
The second theory proposed that Lopaz deliberately chose to walk away and remain hidden. According to this theory, his shoes were left in the mud because they got stuck while he was walking. However, Thypence raised concerns about the inconsistencies in these explanations. The positioning of the shoes facing each other did not align with the idea of them getting stuck while he was wearing them. Additionally, his pre-existing leg injury from 2020 would have hindered him from walking extensively. Thypence emphasized that he was content with his life and had no apparent reason to voluntarily disappear.
Thypence Jenkins revealed that Lopaz had expressed a sense of paranoia in the days leading up to his disappearance. He discussed concerns about wronging certain individuals who might seek revenge against him but had not disclosed their identity. Thypence suspects that someone from Lopaz’s motorcycle club may have more information than they have disclosed. Despite these suspicions, no significant progress has been made in his case, and it remains open.
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