IL IL - Debbie Fijan, 10, DuPage County, 11 Feb 1966 - #1

[shadowangel]

Very welcome.

That statement is really bothering me. What does Schofield mean? Was he jealous of the attention Debbie gave the baby? Did he think she was paying too much attention to the baby in general? The article even states that Debbie once walked the baby in his stroller alongside the court when Schofield brought him to a game.

 

[Abbey5]

Very welcome.

That statement is really bothering me. What does Schofield mean? Was he jealous of the attention Debbie gave the baby? Did he think she was paying too much attention to the baby in general? The article even states that Debbie once walked the baby in his stroller alongside the court when Schofield brought him to a game.

You have the same questions as me. And add to this, why did the investigators ask him if his wife told him to keep his times straight when talking to police? Was she just nervous because he was being questioned or making sure he covered his tracks? and really why did they ask her that question? kinda weird, if you ask me, unless they had a reason to ask ther that.

And I have a problem with her just burning pornographic pictures and lit. and believing his story about not wanting kids to find it. Why not just throw it in the trash?

Wow, lots of things here to digest. Thanks again!

 

[Cubby]

I purchased the article "We've Got Our Man", and I'm trying to figure out how to save it and share it...Acrobat is giving me fits though. I'm working on it.

Some interesting points---

*Remants of burned clothing found in the Schofield home and feathers found in the car were being sent for testing

*Clothing turned over to PD by MaryAnn Schofield, stated to be those worn by Loren on the Friday Debbie was murdered, appeared to have stains on them which may have been blood

*Debbie had borrowed a stuffed and mounted duck from a neighbor for class, which was found next to her body

*The penknife which Schofield turned over was believed to have been too small to cause the wounds present on Debbie's body

*Schofield taught 6th and 7th grade classes as well as boy's physical education

*Maryann Schofield told police that Loren had her burn pornographic literature and photos he had brought home. He explained to his wife that he had found the material along the road and didnt want kids finding it

*States atty Hopf released portions of an oral statement that Schofield had made which had been taken down by a court reporter but not signed as it had not been transcribed (I take this to mean the court reporter had taken the statement in shorthand and needed to transcribe it back into full text).

*Four months prior to the murder, the Schofields had moved into a home at 4N512 Gary St, Carol Stream, from the Schofield family home (the farm).

*Debbie's mother had gone to the school at 3pm to pick up the children of some friends, and Debbie was aware that she would return to pick up Debbie after the game

*The husband of a teacher reported that, at about 5:30, he had seen a man in a white car parked in St Charles Rd at Fairoaks Rd, and a girl was standing beside the car

*Anonymous calls were placed to sheriff's dep't stating that Schofield should be watched and that he "is your man". A deputy stated that he wouldnt have been surprised that Schofield placed the calls himself

*Schofield gave differing accounts of his route home that night

*Schofield told law enforcement that he had talked to Debbie at the swingset around 5:20 at which time she said she was waiting for her mother. Muddy tracks were discovered leading from the swings into St Charles Rd

*Schofield told police that he took a circuitous route home because he "wanted to see how the roads are"

Background on Schofield:

*attended St Isildore's Elem School in Carol Stream and St Edwards High School in Elgin

*left the seminary to attend Quincy (IL) College, graduating in 1962-began teaching at Benjamin School in Sept 1964

*met his wife, MaryAnn Schlugen of Lisle, while in college-She taught at parochial schools in West Chicago and Carol Stream

OMG! Thank you so much for purchasing this article.

BBM

So it appears it was MaryAnn Schofield who brough the actual clothing to LE. The second time? When the real clothing was turned over to LE?

So the SOB lied to his wife about the . Wonder what she thought when she found out he had it in his school desk?

I had found a snippet indicating he went to Quincy College, now Quincy University in Quincy IL, (A Catholic College) I had also found the info on St. Isidore grammer school, which is now Bloomingdale, IL. (could have been Carol Stream then...) I did not know St. Edward HS, I would have guessed St. Francis in Wheaton, but maybe that school was not around yet in the late 50's. Just to add a little more about the background which may have changed in names/town boundaries since the article was published.

TY for the explaination regarding the short hand for the statement report. I hadn't thought about that...

Too bad they couldn't trace calls back then.

a circuitous route home because he "wanted to see how the roads are" HUH? How the roads are? That's a strange statement. I bet it was a half truth.... and that is the 'long' route he took home because you look, that circuitous route could have been St. Charles west PAST Fair Oaks to Klein then North to Smith N/E to Army Trail and then back south on Fair Oaks.... but that route would have taken him past the Farm in order to reach, or back around. If you look at that old map I linked from 68 you can see Klein Road had far fewer homes, more farms... larger lots......

still trying to pick my jaw off the floor here...... This guy was a real piece of work.

 

[shadowangel]

When ya start digging, ya never know what can come up out of the earth....

The seminary that Schofield attended was in Worthington OH. This is actually the Pontifical College Josephinum, which reports directly to the Vatican. It was in this college that Bernard Francis Law, the disgraced bishop who lost his job in 2002 over the rampant priest sex abuse reports, was ordained in 1961 (he attended the school from 1955 to 1961). At about this time, it has been reported that the school had its own sex scandal involving a priest who sexually abused teens on campus. Also, there were reports of an even earlier sex scandal at the school.

This is same time frame that Schofield would have been in attendance (before leaving to enroll in Quincy College).

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news3/2002_08_21_Washington_ExClassmates_David_Heimann_1.htm

 

[shadowangel]

OMG! Thank you so much for purchasing this article.

BBM

So it appears it was MaryAnn Schofield who brough the actual clothing to LE. The second time? When the real clothing was turned over to LE?

So the SOB lied to his wife about the . Wonder what she thought when she found out he had it in his school desk?

I had found a snippet indicating he went to Quincy College, now Quincy University in Quincy IL, (A Catholic College) I had also found the info on St. Isidore grammer school, which is now Bloomingdale, IL. (could have been Carol Stream then...) I did not know St. Edward HS, I would have guessed St. Francis in Wheaton, but maybe that school was not around yet in the late 50's. Just to add a little more about the background which may have changed in names/town boundaries since the article was published.

TY for the explaination regarding the short hand for the statement report. I hadn't thought about that...

Too bad they couldn't trace calls back then.

a circuitous route home because he "wanted to see how the roads are" HUH? How the roads are? That's a strange statement. I bet it was a half truth.... and that is the 'long' route he took home because you look, that circuitous route could have been St. Charles west PAST Fair Oaks to Klein then North to Smith N/E to Army Trail and then back south on Fair Oaks.... but that route would have taken him past the Farm in order to reach, or back around. If you look at that old map I linked from 68 you can see Klein Road had far fewer homes, more farms... larger lots......

still trying to pick my jaw off the floor here...... This guy was a real piece of work.

Quoting the article, "They also sent to the laboratory the clothes which Schofield's wife gave to them as those he wore home from school last Friday, the day Debbie was killed". The article also mentions the remnants of burned clothing found in the home, but doesnt report on the search that discovered the clothes.
He may have changed clothes (wearing one outfit for teaching, then having another outfit for coaching). He would have then given his wife the "clean" outfit, and burned the bloody one.

 

[Cubby]

Very welcome.

That statement is really bothering me. What does Schofield mean? Was he jealous of the attention Debbie gave the baby? Did he think she was paying too much attention to the baby in general? The article even states that Debbie once walked the baby in his stroller alongside the court when Schofield brought him to a game.

I interpret this statement as meaning he was extremely jealous Debbie was paying more attention to the baby than she was to him. I realize it is semi normal for new fathers to feel a little left out with a new baby, however for a grown man to complain to police while he is being interogated about a murder and to complain about the victim not paying attention to him? That tells me more about the level of LS's emotional maturity, or lack of it.

then to talk about his past lives? Did he really think he was reincarnated or what? I thought it, but didn't say this before... this guy is really starting to sound like a sociopath.

The more I read about this guy, the worse it gets. I'm thinking along the lines of Casey Anthony here.....

JMO

 

[Cubby]

Quoting the article, "They also sent to the laboratory the clothes which Schofield's wife gave to them as those he wore home from school last Friday, the day Debbie was killed". The article also mentions the remnants of burned clothing found in the home, but doesnt report on the search that discovered the clothes.
He may have changed clothes (wearing one outfit for teaching, then having another outfit for coaching). He would have then given his wife the "clean" outfit, and burned the bloody one.

Thank you. I can't make heads or tails out of this woman. In some articles it appears that she was cooperting, in others it appears she was pushing to cover his arse and protect her/their image.

 

[shadowangel]

I interpret this statement as meaning he was extremely jealous Debbie was paying more attention to the baby than she was to him. I realize it is semi normal for new fathers to feel a little left out with a new baby, however for a grown man to complain to police while he is being interogated about a murder and to complain about the victim not paying attention to him? That tells me more about the level of LS's emotional maturity, or lack of it.

then to talk about his past lives? Did he really think he was reincarnated or what? I thought it. but didn't say this before... this guy is really starting to sound like a sociopath.

The more I read about this guy, the worse it gets. I'm thinking along the lines of Casey Anthony here.....

JMO

I took the "past life" comment to mean something that occured to him earlier in his life, as though the authorities questioning him knew of something in his past...Something dark. That's why I started digging, and found the tidbit of history from the seminary.

 

[Cubby]

that could very well be Shadowangel. Makes a lot more sense than LS claiming to be reincarnated.

I wonder if any of the priests at St. Isidore or St. Edwards were involved in any abuse allegations....

According to the map linked, it looks like St. Isidore would be part of the Diocese of Joliet and St. Edwards (Elgin) the Diocese of Rockford.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Maps_of_Catholic_dioceses_of_Illinois

 

[Cubby]

John Zimmerman no longer works for The Daily Herald. They would not give me any more info.

I found a email addy on the Dupage County Cold Case website and I emailed them this morning.

Thank you for emailing DuPage. Please let us know if you hear back from them.

Regarding John Zimmerman, I did a little digging to see if I could find if he had moved to another local paper. I haven't found that yet, but did find a link from October 2009 with the Dailey Herald, saying former editor JZ was performing in a play. Not sure if he made acting a full time career or something part time. Still digging for more info there. If he is still with a local paper, even though he is no longer with the Herald I would hope he might be willing to run another story on Debbie.

 

[dfijan]

This is Debbie's brother Jack. Today I left a message for the Dupage County Sheriff's Office to return a call. They only have one person who handles cold cases and he is in court. I will find out what we can do to revisit this case. I would really like to know what evidence they still have.

I discussed this with my parents and siblings. They are all willing to add information as well. My mother has saved up a lot of info that would be very relevant.

Here is my first correction. My mother informed me that a detective flew down to their home in FL about 4-5 years ago and took swaps from the inside of their mouths (not hair samples) for DNA.

God bless all of you for your support and encouragement!

 

[Cubby]

Thank you Jack. I'm praying they still have all the evidence. I can't help but wonder what resulted from collecting the dna from your parents a few years back. I realize we have so many many questions and LE will not give us information which would jeaprodize the case in any way, nor would we want them to. I would just really like to know whatever can be done forensically for this case isn't just waiting and being pushed back due to higher prioritied etc. etc. What happened with collecting the dna? Has the evidence been processed? Or has it sat being pushed back for higher priorities? I've been told by various sources the Illinois crime lab is really back logged. I can understand that... I would just really like to know things are moving forward, even if slowly.

It's been a long time, your sister deserves Justice.

I've been praying for your family and to get this case solved daily.

 

[Abbey5]

Jack, I couldn't have said it any better than Cubby did.

I want to thank you and your family. I cannot even imagine how hard this must be..thank you all!

You are all in my prayers!

 

[shadowangel]

I can only guess that the DNA samples were needed for elimination--Which most likely means DNA other than Debbie's was found. Unless, of course, the samples were simply for later comparison testing.

I've been digging into a few things all afternoon, haven't really found anything of import.

*It appears that States Atty Hopf (known as "Doc") was a tough prosecutor with an excellent record. He went on to become a judge.

*The original magistrate who released Schofield on $50,000 bond, James Fitzgerald, was removed (or removed himself) from the case and Magistrate Marvin Johnson took over (the grand jury proceedings). He continued the bond for LS over the objections of Hopf. I can't find the reason as to why the magistrates were switched.

*While in jail after being arrested, LS was visited by attorney Douglas Spesia, who claimed he was a family friend. Spesia was involved with the Republican party in the area, as was Schofield (the position of highway commisioner is an elected post, I found out--I wasnt aware of that). Specia is now the senior partner in a law firm in Joliet. He is noted on sites like the Huffington Post for his campaign contributions.

*Anthony Verive appears to be living in California, and may be an instructor at a college (I can't quite nail that down as of yet). There is another Anthony Verive, around 45, who lives in the Elgin/Lake in the Hills area who has had some legal trouble--Such as torching his house for the insurance money.

 

[Cubby]

I've been digging too..... nothing of too much importance.

From your post Shadow:

Spesia was involved with the Republican party in the area, as was Schofield (the position of highway commisioner is an elected post, I found out--I wasnt aware of that).

The elected post of highway commisioner in Wayne Township was not Loren, but Lorens father John. Loren went onto work with his dad after he lost/left his job at the school.

I'm somewhat interested in knowing what exactly it was LS did between the two(?) years after graduating college and starting teaching at Benjamin School in the fall of 64. Not sure why other than to see if anything jumps out at us.

 

[shadowangel]

Sorry for the confusion, I meant to put John's first name in there.

As the articles at the time of Debbie's death state that Loren had worked for his father "on the highways', I've assumed it was during the period between graduating and starting the teaching job.

 

[Cubby]

The other thing that I can't quite wrap my head around. Outside of the libel/slander law suit what exactly was it that brought this case to a grinding halt?

I can't imagine LS's statements to LE not being an even stronger desire to find enough evidence to solve this case. The guy was clearly 'toying' with them, almost in that same kind of cocky way Drew Peterson has regarding his case and the disappearance of his wife Stacy.

 

[LisaWilliams]

I found two articles about the timeline when Debbie went missing. The Anderson Herald 2/13/66. Debbie's Mom went to pick her up at school but Debbie wanted to stay for the basketball game (this was at 3:00 p.m.) She went back to pick her up at 5:10 p.m. and Debbie wasn't there. LS saw her with a group of children in the hall and told them to get on the bus. Debbie did not board the bus according to her schoolmates. 15 minutes later LS saw Debbie on a swing outside and she told him she was waiting on her Mom. This article does not state what time LS first saw Debbie or the time when he last saw her.

I went to Benjamin and was at the game that day. This is not how I remember it. There was no bus for afterschool activities for those of us close enough to walk home. I was one of the last kids to leave that day to walk home and Debbie was inside with LS when I left. This will haunt me until the day I die if it goes unsolved.....

 

[shadowangel]

The other thing that I can't quite wrap my head around. Outside of the libel/slander law suit what exactly was it that brought this case to a grinding halt?

I can't imagine LS's statements to LE not being an even stronger desire to find enough evidence to solve this case. The guy was clearly 'toying' with them, almost in that same kind of cocky way Drew Peterson has regarding his case and the disappearance of his wife Stacy.

I can only guess that with a suspect as strong as LS, and all the available evidence tied to him, the investigation basically was at a dead end after the grand jury no-billed. I'd love to talk to someone who was on the jury.... (And yes, in Illinois they are allowed to talk about the cases they were empanelled on if they so choose).

The more I read on this, the more I think that the police did as good a job as mid-60s technology allowed.

 

[shadowangel]

I found two articles about the timeline when Debbie went missing. The Anderson Herald 2/13/66. Debbie's Mom went to pick her up at school but Debbie wanted to stay for the basketball game (this was at 3:00 p.m.) She went back to pick her up at 5:10 p.m. and Debbie wasn't there. LS saw her with a group of children in the hall and told them to get on the bus. Debbie did not board the bus according to her schoolmates. 15 minutes later LS saw Debbie on a swing outside and she told him she was waiting on her Mom. This article does not state what time LS first saw Debbie or the time when he last saw her.

I went to Benjamin and was at the game that day. This is not how I remember it. There was no bus for afterschool activities for those of us close enough to walk home. I was one of the last kids to leave that day to walk home and Debbie was inside with LS when I left. This will haunt me until the day I die if it goes unsolved.....

Welcome to the discussion, Lisa. As you've probably read from our various posts, there are varying stories as to what occured that afternoon and how. Any memories you have of that time are most appreciated.