Our card this week is Valene Briggs, the Ace of Spades from Utah.

When 19-year-old Valene left her Salt Lake City apartment and walked to class one spring

morning in 1977, her carefully planned future was full of promise.

And though she was in a time of transition and had recently ended an engagement, Valene

knew even this temporary disappointment just brought her closer to the life she dreamed

of, a life full of family and rooted in faith, a life her ex-fiance couldn't give her.

What Valene didn't know that morning, what she couldn't have known, was that postcard

perfect future she envisioned for herself would be stolen from her in the cruelest of ways.

I'm Ashley Flowers, and this is The Deck.

It's mid-day on May 5, 1977, and a young woman named Moana is waiting for her roommate,

Valene, to get back from her morning class so they can go for a shopping date.

She's waiting, and waiting, and waiting.

Valene had left their apartment at around 9.30 that morning for the short walk to the

LDS Business College, where she was studying for a certificate or degree in court reporting.

But her class only ran until 1120, so Valene and Moana had plans to head to the Crossroads

Mall in downtown Salt Lake City after Valene got home.

It should only have taken her like 10 minutes to get there, but 1130 came and went, and

there was no sign of her.

And honestly, I'm guessing that at some point, Moana probably felt a little frustrated

with Valene for keeping her waiting.

That's the minutes ticked by into hours.

That feeling was overtaken by concern, and it wasn't just Moana who was concerned.

...