CT CT - Deborah Lee Spickler, 13, Vernon, 24 July 1968

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This past weekend I was at the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge traveling into the USA from Canada, and I saw Debra Spickler's missing poster on the wall. I hadn't heard of the case before, and something about her really struck me, so I looked into it once I got home.

To me it seems obvious that her case must be linked to the disappearances/murders of the other young girls in that area from that decade, and to the two suspects that have been mentioned. It's a shame that the remains discovered a few months ago won't provide any sort of closure to Debra's family, or the other families affected by those CT disappearances.

I suppose that I don't really have too much to say on this subject other than to just note that Debra's poster is still being circulated, and that the case really touched me. Hoping for information and answers alongside you guys.
 
bstandifer said:
no, deborah did not visit our aunt frequently at all. i don't believe anyone was questioned at the pool, and if the police did look for witnesses, several hours had passed since she disappeared. it is my understanding the police believed she was a run away (and she was not). my sister did not run off. :(
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I grew up in Mystic and Deborah was in my brother's class. When she disappeared, the talk was that she had run away. I've always wondered what happened to her and how her life may have turned out. For some reason, I googled her name today and found this. I am so sorry about your sister and hope that someday, you may find an answer as to what happened to her.
 
The state is offering a $150,000 reward for any information that may help police solve any of the mysteries of what happened to three girls missing from the Vernon area for 40 years or more.

"Something that may have seemed insignificant to someone back then may be important information for us to have today," Tolland State's Attorney Matthew Gedansky said Thursday at a press conference at Vernon Town Hall.

Gedansky also announced the formation of a special Tolland County cold case task force that will handle any new tips that come in and also review the voluminous files of the three missing girls – Debra Spickler, Janice Pockett and Lisa White.
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http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-missing-children-rewards-20141016-story.html
 
I was raised in an area something like that. There were very few outsiders and when there were, everyone knew it. I would think that over the span, it was someone who lived there or remotely close. I believe they were comfortable and built a routine.
 
http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-tolland-missing-girls-0415-20160414-story.html

A task force formed more than a year ago to investigate the disappearances of three girls from the Vernon and Tolland areas more than 40 years ago has developed a list of suspects, conducted searches in three locations and plans additional searches...

State and Vernon police detectives are on the Tolland County Cold Case Squad, along with Gedansky and two analysts, one of whom works in the chief state's attorney's office and the other in the Tolland state's attorney's office. Their goal is to find answers for the families of Debra Spickler, Janice Pockett and Lisa White.

The task force and the sisters of two of the missing girls gathered Thursday at the Rockville courthouse to hear Gedansky describe what the task force has done and its plans for the coming months.
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After reviewing what facts are available online, it is hard for me to believe that Deborah"s, Lisa White, Janice Pockett, Patricia Luce and Larosa's cases were not connected. Number one, it is such a small town community. Geographically, the area where Deborah, Lisa, Patricia, and Susan were last seen were less than 4 miles away from eachother. The area in common was the Rockville area, and the convenience store. Two were close to parks. And when you look at the dates they were last seen, with the exception of lisa, all were taken in late july of different years and one in late june. Janice was in proximity, but was a more secluded area. But, from research, her community was new at the time, so it is possible there was alot of construction, etc...going on there. The offender may have worked in the area and seen janice there. Hopefully the cold case sqaud can solve these cases and bring closure and justice.
 
Brownie33 said:
After reviewing what facts are available online, it is hard for me to believe that Deborah"s, Lisa White, Janice Pockett, Patricia Luce and Larosa's cases were not connected. Number one, it is such a small town community. Geographically, the area where Deborah, Lisa, Patricia, and Susan were last seen were less than 4 miles away from eachother. The area in common was the Rockville area, and the convenience store. Two were close to parks. And when you look at the dates they were last seen, with the exception of lisa, all were taken in late july of different years and one in late june. Janice was in proximity, but was a more secluded area. But, from research, her community was new at the time, so it is possible there was alot of construction, etc...going on there. The offender may have worked in the area and seen janice there. Hopefully the cold case sqaud can solve these cases and bring closure and justice.
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A seasonal worker (like the Carny) seems like a real possibility or someone who had a summer place in that part of CT--maybe even someone who had summers off, like a teacher.
 
My take is this: I believe Debra Spickler, Lisa White, and Janice Pockett are connected to the same person, while Susan Larosa and Patricia Luce were connected to a different person. The latter two's remains were eventually found, positively ID'd and had the same injuries (blows to the head). I understand nothing on the former 3 were ever found?

Vernon/Tolland is indeed a fairly quiet area and I vaguely remember when Luce went missing back in 1978:

Susan Larosa


http://www.wfsb.com/story/14894917/family-police-seek-clues-in-cold-case-killing-5-03-2011




Patricia Luce


http://www.courant.com/hc-cc-luce-032907-story.html
 
Just a side note, I-84 in CT was not built until the 1970s, though there were older roads that it intended to replace, like US 6. It was very quiet in that section of CT even in the early 2000s, so I agree with others that at least some subset of the girls' disappearances must be related.
 
Skigirl said:
Just a side note, I-84 in CT was not built until the 1970s, though there were older roads that it intended to replace, like US 6. It was very quiet in that section of CT even in the early 2000s, so I agree with others that at least some subset of the girls' disappearances must be related.
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I think it's likely, but I'm not positive whether all three are connected. If only two are connected, I'm not sure which two. Lisa White and Deborah Spickler were the same age, but their disappearances were six years apart. Janice Pockett and Lisa White weren't very close in age, but they looked a little alike.

I don't think a serial killer would have stopped unless he died, went to prison, or was interviewed by police. Of those three scenarios, I think his being interviewed by police is the most likely. Of course, it's possible he could have moved away and continued killing in another location.
 
Ozoner said:
I don't think a serial killer would have stopped unless he died, went to prison, or was interviewed by police. Of those three scenarios, I think his being interviewed by police is the most likely. Of course, it's possible he could have moved away and continued killing in another location.
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I wouldn't rule out that he didn't stop. The disappearance of Deborah Quimby from Townsend, MA has eerie parallels and there are several cases not only in Connecticut but also in Massachusetts and Rhode Island wherein the victims fit the profile of the Tolland County child killer.

The problem with linking anything for certain is that we don't have crime scenes or bodies in many of these cases. Whoever was operating in CT/Western MA at the time was a very, very organized offender and I can't shake the feeling that if we were to ever find one of the victims' remains, we'd likely find at least one of the others as well.
 
Today is the 49th anniversary of Debra's disappearance. So sad.
 
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