MA MA - Debra Cressotti, 29, Blandford, 30 April 1985

[Palisades]

I hope it is acceptable to link to older newspaper article snippits.

Looks like Debra and her husband had a suit against someone in 1983, related to a horse farm.
December 1, 1983 article - legal notice for Debra and Benjamin Cressotti as plaintiffs.
October 17, 1983 article - detail about the lawsuit - mentioned horse farm.
December 19, 1988 article - probate notice in for Debra's property in Hampden County. Also has what I assume is her maiden name.

Searching for her husband's name brings up some whoppers, and Debra is mentioned in the June 12, 1990 article, but her name is spelled Deborah. Strip club owner, arson of Blandford horse barn property in 1984. Funny, both the first articles mention horses. The January 27, 1995 article mentions Debra's disappearance a year after than barn arson.

 

[Palisades]

January 27, 1995 - mentioned son, says Debra was never legally married, just took the last name Cressotti.
February 25, 1995 - more of the same, re-investigating case

 

[Josspa]

I just checked her name in Ancestry, and found that a Debra A Cressotti was married on 14-Nov-1977 in East Windsor, Connecticut to a man with the initials BHI. Her age was listed in the marriage record as 18, which would have placed her DOB at approx. 1959 (give or take a year). This is a couple years off from the MP listing which indicates that she was 29 in 1985 (which would have put her DOB at approx. 1956).

ETA: She is also listed in her husband's family tree (publicly listed in Ancestry). Her DOB is 23-Jun-1959, so it looks like the age indicated in her NamUs listing is incorrect. She also has a daughter, whose initials are JI.

That would explain why she was driving a 1975 crew-cab. It was probably her husband's vehicle.

ETA2: If her DOB is correct in the family tree, then this would have meant that she was 25 at the time of her disappearance, and four days short of her 27th birthday at the time that LPJD was discovered. This is spot-on to LPJD's estimated age range.

ETA3: Her daughter is a 1996 graduate of Windsor Locks High School in Windsor Locks, CT, and her recently taken photo is posted in Classmates.com.

Are you still interested in this case? Yes, she is still missing to this day. Her mom passed away hoping to still find her. She never gave up.

 

[Josspa]

I just checked her name in Ancestry, and found that a Debra A Cressotti was married on 14-Nov-1977 in East Windsor, Connecticut to a man with the initials BHI. Her age was listed in the marriage record as 18, which would have placed her DOB at approx. 1959 (give or take a year). This is a couple years off from the MP listing which indicates that she was 29 in 1985 (which would have put her DOB at approx. 1956).

ETA: She is also listed in her husband's family tree (publicly listed in Ancestry). Her DOB is 23-Jun-1959, so it looks like the age indicated in her NamUs listing is incorrect. She also has a daughter, whose initials are JI.

That would explain why she was driving a 1975 crew-cab. It was probably her husband's vehicle.

ETA2: If her DOB is correct in the family tree, then this would have meant that she was 25 at the time of her disappearance, and four days short of her 27th birthday at the time that LPJD was discovered. This is spot-on to LPJD's estimated age range.

ETA3: Her daughter is a 1996 graduate of Windsor Locks High School in Windsor Locks, CT, and her recently taken photo is posted in Classmates.com.

That's not the same Deborah. Her name was really Deborah Balcom. I don't think her and Benjamin Cressotti ever actually married but she did use his last name. Probably more for business purposes as they had a business raising dogs and boarding horses. There is however another Deborah Balcom but it's not her. The other Deborah has the same name because she married the missing Deborah's cousin. I have no idea who the one you're talking about is. I too never stopped wanting to find out what happened and I'd still like to. I can try to help to the best of my ability but I was probably about 11 when she disappeared. My mother is her first cousin.

 

[Josspa]

Why I ask this is because I like to quickly Google names to get a feel of things and when I did so for Debra Cressoti, came up with SEVERAL hits including...

Facebook hits...Pipl hits....Google hits and a 58 year old woman in NJ!

With no one searching for her, who is to say she didn't resurface back on the east coast and is the one now living in NJ?

Thanks for the info. Carl....Sounds like you have learned some searching skills over the years!

Still I would be happy to see some link to her past (newspaper, family, etc...). How can no one care anymore? Was she a black

 

[Josspa]

Her mother tried everything she could and never gave up hope until she passed but there were no leads. Just because you don’t see posts all over doesn't mean they stopped looking. Keep in mind there was no Internet until a long time after she disappeared. Her mother even went to Unsolved Mysteries who said they were going to a show on her but suddenly backed out. There was really no where else to turn but hoping the police could find something. I was probably around 11 years old at the time. Her brothers will still pretty young too (John and Jimmy). I did look when I got older but

I think she probably WAS missing for a while. Eventually she came back, and no one ever bothered reporting that she was no longer missing.

No, sadly, she's still missing. She lived in MA not Connecticut.

 

[Josspa]

Her mother tried everything she could and never gave up hope until she passed but there were no leads. Just because you don’t see posts all over doesn't mean they stopped looking. Keep in mind there was no Internet until a long time after she disappeared. Her mother even went to Unsolved Mysteries who said they were going to a show on her but suddenly backed out. There was really no where else to turn but hoping the police could find something. I was probably around 11 years old at the time. Her brothers will still pretty young too (John and Jimmy). I did look when I got older but

No, sadly, she's still missing. She lived in MA not Connecticut.

I'm not speculating... I'm her second cousin. My mom is her 1st cousin. One of the pictures above was cropped from a photo of her, my mom, and dad.

 

[Josspa]

I just checked her name in Ancestry, and found that a Debra A Cressotti was married on 14-Nov-1977 in East Windsor, Connecticut to a man with the initials BHI. Her age was listed in the marriage record as 18, which would have placed her DOB at approx. 1959 (give or take a year). This is a couple years off from the MP listing which indicates that she was 29 in 1985 (which would have put her DOB at approx. 1956).

ETA: She is also listed in her husband's family tree (publicly listed in Ancestry). Her DOB is 23-Jun-1959, so it looks like the age indicated in her NamUs listing is incorrect. She also has a daughter, whose initials are JI.

That would explain why she was driving a 1975 crew-cab. It was probably her husband's vehicle.

ETA2: If her DOB is correct in the family tree, then this would have meant that she was 25 at the time of her disappearance, and four days short of her 27th birthday at the time that LPJD was discovered. This is spot-on to LPJD's estimated age range.

ETA3: Her daughter is a 1996 graduate of Windsor Locks High School in Windsor Locks, CT, and her recently taken photo is posted in Classmates.com.

It's not the same person. She was really Deborah Balcom. I don't think that she ever married Ben Cressotti but did use his last name. They had a business raising dogs and horses together. Also, no one found this. Around the time of her disappearance, I think, an indoor riding arena they were renting burned down and also their house. I forgot in what order as I was really young at the time.

 

[Josspa]

I just checked her name in Ancestry, and found that a Debra A Cressotti was married on 14-Nov-1977 in East Windsor, Connecticut to a man with the initials BHI. Her age was listed in the marriage record as 18, which would have placed her DOB at approx. 1959 (give or take a year). This is a couple years off from the MP listing which indicates that she was 29 in 1985 (which would have put her DOB at approx. 1956).

ETA: She is also listed in her husband's family tree (publicly listed in Ancestry). Her DOB is 23-Jun-1959, so it looks like the age indicated in her NamUs listing is incorrect. She also has a daughter, whose initials are JI.

That would explain why she was driving a 1975 crew-cab. It was probably her husband's vehicle.

ETA2: If her DOB is correct in the family tree, then this would have meant that she was 25 at the time of her disappearance, and four days short of her 27th birthday at the time that LPJD was discovered. This is spot-on to LPJD's estimated age range.

ETA3: Her daughter is a 1996 graduate of Windsor Locks High School in Windsor Locks, CT, and her recently taken photo is posted in Classmates.com.

It's not the same person. She was really Deborah Balcom. I don't think that she ever married Ben Cressotti but did use his last name. They had a business raising dogs and horses together. Also, no one found this. Around the time of her disappearance, I think, an indoor riding arena they were renting burned down and also their house. I forgot in what order as I was really young at the time

Why I ask this is because I like to quickly Google names to get a feel of things and when I did so for Debra Cressoti, came up with SEVERAL hits including...

Facebook hits...Pipl hits....Google hits and a 58 year old woman in NJ!

With no one searching for her, who is to say she didn't resurface back on the east coast and is the one now living in NJ?

Thanks for the info. Carl....Sounds like you have learned some searching skills over the years!

Still I would be happy to see some link to her past (newspaper, family, etc...). How can no one care anymore? Was she a black sheep?

I doubt it's her in NJ as she is still reported missing and would think the police would have found her and notified her family.

 

[Josspa]

this is what I think happened here and feel free to express your opinions people. given the unusual name, we are probably talking about the same person.

Debra was visiting someone in MA. (I won't elaborate on who that someone might be). she leaves his dwelling in a huff using his car. he reports Debra and the vehicle missing to his local police providing only the most basic info he knows on Debra, i.e. the last name she gave him (which was not her married name), the age he thought she was or she said she was, etc.

they find the car in CT and the person who made the report is done with it and he had no further interest in Debra's whereabouts. She and her family in CT had no idea there ever was a MP report made as Cressotti had not been her last name for about 2 years before the MP report was filed.

the downsides of this is how did the MA police get her pics? how would the person making te report know about the fractured hip from a horseback riding accident?

She never lived in CT at least prior to her disappearance.

 

[Josspa]

The pics are what hangs me up here. These aren't yearbook photos that someone can find in the public domain, or a driver's license photo that LE can pull up from their DMV system. They are personal photos, one of which shows another woman in the background (perhaps a sister).

BTW, there is a Debra (not the more common spelling Deborah) M Cressotti from New Jersey who clearly is a different person. It's not too much further of a stretch to have another Debra Crossotti with a coincidental middle initial.

That's my mother in the background. She is her 1st cousin.

 

[HmmMysterious]

It's not the same person. She was really Deborah Balcom. I don't think that she ever married Ben Cressotti but did use his last name. They had a business raising dogs and horses together. Also, no one found this. Around the time of her disappearance, I think, an indoor riding arena they were renting burned down and also their house. I forgot in what order as I was really young at the time

I doubt it's her in NJ as she is still reported missing and would think the police would have found her and notified her family.

Do you know anything about how good Deborah's relationship was with Ben Crossotti?

 

[Josspa]

Just to add to what Carl posted, I notice you use "know" rather than "knew."
Do you know her currently? If she's alive, that's great news. I'd love to know though, because if that's the case, then she can't be our Lake Ponchatrain Jane Doe.

If you do know her now, you can always suggest that she make contact with the authorities and ask them to quietly close her case. If she's just voluntarily left and made a new life for herself that's her choice. Then LE will not keep comparing her to other cases that may come up.

If you knew her in the past sense, and she truly is a missing person who might have met with foul play, then I would love to know if you have any thoughts on where she might have gone...if she ever mentioned wanting to see a certain part of the country or world, or visit a faraway friend, etc.

I'm hoping you know her now, and she's living a full and happy life. Looking at her pictures she was such a beautiful girl, and we don't get too many happy endings down here!

She is still missing. I don't know kitty but I'm sure she's choosing "know" because he regards her as still being around somewhere. Unfortunately, I'm more than skeptical after all these years.

 

[Josspa]

Do you know anything about how good Deborah's relationship was with Ben Crossotti?

I believe it became rocky. I know she left him at one point and was with a man named Don. I think it wasn't long after that she disappeared. I think her and Ben had gotten back together though. Don's last name was pronounced something like Langloys. The old truck? I remember asking my mother about that, because they had plenty of money. I was young and asked my mom why she was driving it. My mom just said... I guess just because she likes it... I thought it was odd even at 11 YO. Incidentally, I seem to remember that Ben is the one that found her truck at the airport and had it towed.

 

[Josspa]

It's only 30 miles from the town she lived in to that airport, and as far as I know it's the closest big airport. It just happens to cross a state line.

Correct

 

[HmmMysterious]

I believe it became rocky. I know she left him at one point and was with a man named Don. I think it wasn't long after that she disappeared. I think her and Ben had gotten back together though. Don's last name was pronounced something like Langloys. The old truck? I remember asking my mother about that, because they had plenty of money. I was young and asked my mom why she was driving it. My mom just said... I guess just because she likes it... I thought it was odd even at 11 YO. Incidentally, I seem to remember that Ben is the one that found her truck at the airport and had it towed.

I honestly was expecting this type of answer. I'm not going to exclude Ben as a suspect.

I find it too coincidental that the indoor riding arena Deborah was renting and her house both burned down around the time of her disappearance.

 

[Josspa]

Yep - Debra Balcom is Debra Cressotti. I found this 19-Dec-1988 entry in the Legal Notices section of the Springfield Union. She is described as an "an absentee, whose last known address was in Blandford".

It appears that Benjamin Cressotti (apparently her husband) put the notice in the paper to collect a fire insurance claim on a property to which Debra was listed as a co-owner.

Yes, some time after she disappeared, their house burned down.

 

[Josspa]

I found another article, and a photo of Debra in this Sunday Republican article dated 24-Jan-1982, it says that Debra (spelled "Deborah" in the article) was a breeder of Shar-Pei dogs. She had another dog,

I honestly was expecting this type of answer. I'm not going to exclude Ben as a suspect.

I find it too coincidental that

I believe it became rocky. I know she left him at one point and was with a man named Don. I think it wasn't long after that she disappeared. I think her and Ben had gotten back together though. Don's last name was pronounced something like Langloys. The old truck? I remember asking my mother about that, because they had plenty of money. I was young and asked my mom why she was driving it. My mom just said... I guess just because she likes it... I thought it was odd even at 11 YO. Incidentally, I seem to remember that Ben is the one that found her truck at the airport and had it towed.

 

[Josspa]

Benjamin Cressotti Obituary (1935 - 2018) - Southwick, MA - The Republican

https://obits.masslive.com/us/obituaries/masslive/name/benjamin-cressotti-obituary?id=10548679

 

[Josspa]

I hope it is acceptable to link to older newspaper article snippits.

Looks like Debra and her husband had a suit against someone in 1983, related to a horse farm.
December 1, 1983 article - legal notice for Debra and Benjamin Cressotti as plaintiffs.
October 17, 1983 article - detail about the lawsuit - mentioned horse farm.
December 19, 1988 article - probate notice in for Debra's property in Hampden County. Also has what I assume is her maiden name.

Searching for her husband's name brings up some whoppers, and Debra is mentioned in the June 12, 1990 article, but her name is spelled Deborah. Strip club owner, arson of Blandford horse barn property in 1984. Funny, both the first articles mention horses. The January 27, 1995 article mentions Debra's disappearance a year after than barn arson.

Yes, I think the barn they were renting burned shortly after they had spent a lot of money on a new colt. She disappeared. Then the house burnt too. They were not on the same property.