Apparently, Debra's husband, John, reported to the police that Debra called him out of the blue and said she needed to fly to Pennsylvania for a family emergency. John drove Debra and the twins to the airport, gave her $400 and a blank check, and left them queuing for tickets because he was double-parked. He called Debra's parents a couple days later only to be told that she hadn't arrived. There were no records of Debra boarding a flight that day. John took a polygraph that same year and passed.
John is now deceased. He committed suicide in 2008. He was a former heroin user and had contracted Hepatitis B. John's brother attributes his deteriorating health to his reason for killing himself. The last line of his suicide note read: “If my boys ever show up, please tell them I’m not who Debbie said I was.”
The details of Debra's disappearance all stem from her husband, and husbands are often the first line of enquiry when a married woman goes missing. There was apparently nothing on the surface to point to an unhappy marriage. Debra's diary never hinted at any marital problems or dissatisfaction. However, none of us can say for certain, and that ominous line in John's suicide note may suggest a different story.
If John was telling the truth, what happened? Did Debra have a change of plans and take off with someone else? Was the family emergency a cover story for her to runaway and start a new life?