Debbie Dappen, 4, Murdered 19 Aug 1964
It was a family’s worst nightmare. On Wednesday, August 19, 1964, four-year-old Debbie Dappen disappeared from her Fairfax home when she went out to play after lunch. At that time, Fairfax was a quiet, tree-lined town of 2500 residents on the eastern edge of Cincinnati.
Debbie’s parents and neighbors said she was not a wandering child. Debbie’s mom, Rosemary, 28 at the time, reported her missing to Fairfax police and more than 500 volunteers joined police in the search for the little girl. Bloodhounds were brought in. Firemen drained ponds and dragged swimming pools.
The first break in the case came two days after Debbie disappeared when a 14-year-old neighborhood boy pointed out where he found a shoe in a culvert along Little Duck Creek. Debbie’s father, Karl, identified the shoe as belonging to Debbie.
Later that day, police went to the home of the boy who found the shoe and asked for permission to search the house. Debbie’s body was found under construction debris beneath the front porch. Under police questioning, the boy admitted he had lured her to his home to play hide and seek. He made a sexual advance on the child and killed her when she screamed...
LINK:
Artesia Cemetery District | CemeteryIndex.com
