Debra Lee Spickler-Missing 46 Years

Debra Lee Spickler

 ON July 24, 1968, 13 year-old Debra Lee Spickler was visiting her Aunt in Vernon, Connecticut. She was last sighted at Henry Park in the 100th block of South Street, walking from Foxhill Drive towards the park's swimming pool. This street was located not too far from where I-84 is today. Debra was walking alone at the time she was last sighted. Debra resided in Mystic, Connecticut at the time of her disappearance, which was about an hour and fifteen minutes apart from each other. Debra has no prior incidences of running away or delinquent behaviors. She never made it back to her Aunt's house and has not been seen or heard from since.

At the time of her disappearance, Debra was 13 years-old. She was 5'5" and weighed 125 pounds. She had brown hair and brown eyes. She has a pockmark on her face and one of her teeth are chipped. She was last seen wearing a white sleeveless shirt, home made shorts with a dark-green polka dot pattern and no pockets, as well as white low-top sneakers. She goes by the nickname Debbie.

Debra's disappearance would not be the last in the area. Two other girls would go missing four and five years later in the same area, same time frame and under the same circumstances. These other disappearances occurred in a town only 11 minutes away from Vernon, where Debra was last seen, and the other in the same town as Debra-Vernon, Connecticut.

 Janice Pockett vanished on July 26, 1973 while on a bike ride. 

The first disappearance was that of Janice Kathryn Pockett. On July 26, 1973, 7 year-old Janice was last seen leaving her family's home in Tolland, Connecticut, a town 11 minutes from Vernon. Today was the first time she was ever allowed to go out on her own. She had planned to ride her green, metallic Murray bike throughout the neighborhood to the woods to search for a butterfly she had caught and put on a rock a few days earlier. She also brought an envelope that she planned to put the butterfly in to take home with her. Half an hour later, Janice's mother found her bike less then a mile from her residence, on Rhoades Road, near a wooded area. She was never seen or heard from since. Authorities believe something happened to Janice when she was on her way back home because the butterfly and white envelope were never recovered.

 Lisa Joy White vanished while on a walk home from a friend's house. 

A year later, tragedy would strike the town of Vernon, Connecticut again. On November 1, 1974, 13 year old Lisa Joy White was grounded at home after being arrested for underage drinking. After her mother left for work at 4:30 PM, she sneaked out to visit a friend on Prospect Street in Rockville, Connecticut. This was only two miles away. Lisa's friend confirmed that she left to walk home at 7:30 PM. Lisa was initially believed to be a runaway, but authorities have announced they believe she met with foul play. In a ten year period, Lisa's disappearance was one of five (not including Debra's disappearance) in a ten year stretch. Girls ages 7-20 years old seemed to vanished very few years when they were walking by themselves. Although Lisa and Janice are still missing along with Debra, the other two were found deceased, and believed to be homicide victims.

 Patricia Luce (L) and Susan Larosa both went missing from Vernon, the same town Debra vanished from a few years earlier. Both were found as homicide victims. Both Patricia and Susan resembled Debra, with short, dark hair. Images from ctcoldcases.com

In 1975, Vernon would still experience tragedy, as the disappearances of two more young women would shake the town again, even more so when both turned up as homicide victims years later. In 1975, 20 year-old Susan Larosa was repowered missing from Vernon, Connecticut. Susan remained missing for years, until she was discovered in a wooded area only a few miles from her home, and just a few hundred yards from I-84. In July 1978, 18 year-old Patricia Luce vanished on her walk to the convenience store in Vernon. Years later, her remains were discovered in a wooded area several towns away from Vernon, in Marlborough.

Many other women would continue to vanish and end up as homicide victims in the 1970s around similar areas in Connecticut. It is not known if these cases are connected, but it has been questioned and has not been ruled out yet. Were there multiple killers around this area in the 1970s? Or was there just one, going back and forth between towns in a certain vicinity, looking for girls or young women walking by themselves?

Stephanie was found near death In July of 1975 after being beaten in the head. She did not survive her injuries. images from ctcoldcases.com

In July of 1975, 15 year-old Stephanie Olisky was found near death on Route 5 in East Windsor, which was two towns away from Vernon, where Debra Spickler and Lisa White vanished years earlier. Several days later, Stephanie died from the serious head trauma. Although the circumstances of her death may not seem as similar to the other missing persons cases and homicide cases mentioned, her death is still considered suspicious. Is it possible someone tried to take Stephanie and did not succeed because she put up a fight? Was the person(s) spooked by someone?

The identity of this woman, 18-29 years old, remains unknown. She was found floating in a drainage ditch, bound and gagged and wrapped in tarp. Images from doenetwork.oeg

On August 16, 1975, another mystery would unfold. Not far from I-95 in East Have, the remains of a woman was found wrapped in a tarp, floating in a drainage ditch behind the former Bradlees department store on Frontage Road. She was thought to be between 18-29 years old. She was estimated to be 5'5" -5'6" tall and weigh about 125 pounds. She had been bound and gagged with a black antenna wire around her neck, wait and knees. No clothing was located. It was determined she died of strangulation. Her identity is still unknown, along with her murderer. It is unknown if her murder is related to that of Stephanie Olisky or the disappearances of Debra, Janice or Lisa. New Haven is about an hour away from Vernon, where Debra vanished on her walk seven years earlier.

Dawn Peterson was found beaten to death a block away from her home.Images from ctcoldcases.com

A year later, in March of 1976, 13 year-old Dawn Peterson was found murdered a block away from her home in North Windham, which is a few towns away from Vernon and Tolland. She was bludgeoned to death, which was similar to Stephanie Olisky's death. A teenage neighbor was thought to have been the murderer, but he was later determined to be innocent. Her murder remains unsolved.

Jeanette was last seen hitch hiking to Griswold. Her remains were found under the Golden Star Memorial Bridge a year later. Image from ctcoldcases.com

In August of 1978, 17 year-old Jeanette Reynolds was hitch hiking to Middleton to Griswold, which is her hometown. As a reminder, hitch hiking was not uncommon back in the 1970s. In fact, as a teenager, that was the main way of transportation for many. Jeanette was last seen at Four Corners in  Colchester. Witnesses claim she was getting into an International Scout car that was blue with a white top. The car was heading eastward on Route 16. A year later, Jeanette's remains were found in Groton under the Gold Star Memorial Bridge on March 25, 1979. This is an hour away from Vernon.

 In August 2014, human remains were found in Vernon. Immediately, people believed they had to belong to one of the three missing girls from the area: Debra, Janice or Lisa. However, results have come back, and the remains do not belong to any of the girls.

 The disappearance of Debra Spickler remains unsolved, along with many other disappearances and homicides in the area. 

Over a span of 12 years, girls have been found murdered or came up missing in the same area within Connecticut. Is one person responsible? Or were there multiple killers at work? All these girls were last seen walking by themselves. Walking home, walking to get a ride or walking to get a butterfly from the woods. Someone was targeting girls and female teenagers. We have three missing girls, three girls whose murders' are unsolved and a murdered girl who's identity is still a mystery. Are all these cases connected? Are some of them? I believe the disappearances of Lisa, Janice and Debra could very well be connected. They were all last seen walking alone and vanished from areas only minutes within one another.These cases are still open, and investigators are asking for the public's help in figuring out these cold cases. Someone out there knows, and somewhere out there, their killer walks free.

According to the NewYorkDailyNews.com, it was announced on October 17, 2014 that a task force was created that focuses on the disappearances of Debra, Lisa and Janice. The task force is made up of investigators from the state and local police departments. They are also focusing on identifying the remains recovered in Vernon, which belong to a woman in her 40s-50s. They are offering a $150,000 reward for information that leads to any of the girls' whereabouts or their killer(s).

If you know anything about the disappearance of Debra Lee Spickler, Janice Pockett or Lisa Joy White or the unsolved murders of Stephanie Olisky, Patricia Luce, Susan Larosa, Dawn Peterson or Jeanette Reynolds, please contact:

 Age progressions of Lisa White (L) and Janice Pockett (R). 

Age progression of Debra Spickler. 

Vernon Police Department

1-860-872-9126

If you have any information about the identity or the murder of the unidentified East Haven victim, please contact

East Haven Police Department

Detective Sgt. Scobie

1-203-468-3827

Sources:
http://www.connecticutmag.com/Blog/Connecticut-Today/August-2014/Human-Remains-Found-in-Vernon-Not-Those-of-Lisa-White-Girls-Who-Vanished-in-Early-70s/
Charley Project
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/spricker_debra.html
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/pockett_janice.html
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/w/white_lisa.html
http://www.ctcoldcases.com/connecticut.html
East Haven Victim
http://doenetwork.org/cases/93ufct.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/task-force-created-probe-disappearance-connecticut-girls-article-1.1978438
http://www.ctcoldcases.com/connecticut.html