Missing Since: August 29, 1981 from Lebanon, Indiana
Classification: Non-Family Abduction
Date Of Birth: March 29, 1969
Age: 12 years old
Height and Weight: 5'3, 115 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Dark blonde hair, hazel eyes. Debra has a birthmark the size of a half-dollar on her ankle.
Clothing/Jewelry Description: Jeans and blue tennis shoes.
Medical Conditions: Debra was reportedly pregnant at the time of her disappearance, but the rumor has never been confirmed.
Details of Disappearance
Debra was last seen at her family's residence in Lebanon, Indiana on August 29, 1981 at approximately 11:00 a.m. She was allegedly with her mother's former boyfriend, Omer R. Beebout, whose nickname was Steve. Debra disappeared during the day and has never been heard from again. She left all of her personal belongings inside her home. Debra's mother initially reported her missing on August 31, 1981, two days after her daughter was last seen. Debra's case was originally classified as that of a runaway.
Debra's case was changed to that of a Non-Family Abduction with foul play suspected after the homicide of her sister, Frances Annette Cole, in 1983. Frances disappeared from their home on October 4, 1983. She was discovered deceased along US 52 north of Lebanon on October 7, three days later. She had been raped before being shot in the back; the coroner determined that she died the same day she was found. Beebout was considered a suspect in Frances's homicide and then became the prime suspect in Debra's 1981 disappearance. He died of a heart attack in 1989, at age forty-nine.
Authorities matched semen and other fluid samples taken from Frances's remains to Beebout's DNA in early 1999. Investigators believe the evidence proves that Beebout was responsible for Frances's death; it is also theorized that he may have been involved in Debra's disappearance. Her case remains unsolved.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information concerning this case, please contact:
Lebanon Police Department
317-482-2280
