Royce disappeared with his mother, Kathleen. They were last seen together in Tulsa, Oklahoma on March 23, 1979. Kathleen worked at Roger's Records in the 5000 block of north Peoria Avenue and had access to concert tickets as a result of her job. At 11:30 p.m. on the day of their disappearance, she called some friends and said she was going to bring them tickets and would be there within an hour. Kathleen was driving her father's car, a brown four-door 1969 Chrysler sedan. She and Royce never arrived and have never been heard from again.