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

[Cubby]

So this neighbor is a good suspect. I think police need to speak to him again. Is he still living? Do we know? If he went directly to the body and he is the one who showed Bellecomo the weapon why did police not get a search warrant for his home?

In an article I read from the Daily Herald from Dec. 22, 1966. William Bellecomo from Elhurst was indicated on charges of perjury by DuPage grand jury. He had offered information months earlier and then made a statement in front of Circuit Judge William Bauer. He said that a neighbor of Jack Fijan's had shown him a spoon that had been used to kill Debbie and that he could tell them were it was located.

bumping the post..... this is post #92 (page 4))in this thread if anyone cares to go back and reread some of the discussion.


For some reason, I have this feeling there was some 'normal' kind of male competition between AV and WB... that WB was possibly envious of the attention his friend received finding Debbie.
Perhaps he hoped to gain some sort of the same attention as his friend, hence the story given to LE?

It's hard to imagine any other reason why someone would make up a story to feed LE regarding a weapon in a murder investigation. Unless they were in some other kind of trouble themself they wished to get out of, or get a lighter penalty.

 

[Cubby]

It was interesting that when Anthony Verive (Tony) was notified that she was missing....he drove right to the body and discovered her. He was questioned intensely by police as a suspect at that time. He lived in between my house and Debbie's at that time but I believe was away at college. They had dogs searching and were already searching Sidwell pond that evening after school. That is perhaps how LS was discovered at the school burning his ....the school was right behind Sidwell's pond and he went there to burn papers rather than search for Debbie.

When Tony arrived home (from college?) he drove to where Debbie's body was at like 2:00 in the morning.....interesting IMO. We both (Debbie and I) spent time at Tony's house. If my memory serves me correctly, we would babysit his child while he and his brother had pool parties.

AV was away at college in Wisconsin, one of the earlier posts lists the college.

From what we are seeing here, the search started around the school and the pond near the school. It is quite possible AV simply thought to look in a different direction from where the search was focused. Look in the immediate area and spread out kind of thing knowing other areas were being covered as far as the search.

I am going to assume it was verified when AV arrived home from school for the weekend. Media stated both he and his girlfriend found Debbie, at least that is how I understood the info posted.

 

[Cubby]

I'd really like to see a hand drawn map of the Schofield farm. Where any buildings were located. Locations of any trails or unpaved roads. Any information on how wooded the farm was, if it was.

Given what we know about LE's investigation, it doesn't appear to be lax. It makes me think the crime occured on private property which LE could not gain access to....

I would also like to know how muddy Debbies boots and clothing were. I imagine if she stuggled outside, there would be evidence on her clothing of a struggle, maybe mud, snow closer to her body (snow getting up in the sleaves of her jacket or pants) Was the mud just on her boots, or on her pants?

Was there anything seeds, plants something on Debbies being that would have tied her to being on the farm property that day?

And I need to find out why I remember LS having scratches on his hands and claiming to have done some kind of raking or yard work explaining those scratches. Why can't I find that again?

 

[Cubby]

I was mistaken by the law link dated 1983 which had the JS name as hwy commissioner, it must have come up based on something JS stated while serving in that post before he passed away in late '67.

I did some research and none of LS's brothers followed their father in the position of Wayne Township highway commissioner. Different name entirely by '71 of someone who was vacating the position due to retirement.

So it appears, John Schofield would not have had a great influence on the direction of this case after he passed away, and Shadowangels thought the case came to a halt once LS was not indicted was spot on.


Did anyone hear back from DuPage?

 

[dfijan]

This is Debbie's brother Jack. GOOD NEWS! The case has officially been reopened!!!!!!! I was informed that the Dupage cold unit was not functioning for a couple of years. It was reestablished a few months ago. They now have two detectives. Debbie's is one of four cases that have climbed to the top.

The detective needs about a week to review her case and the evidence. So, I really can't provide any additional info until next week.

I remember you Lisa, and your brother M. My mom remembers you too. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

My mom is tenderly optimistic, she has sad and glad feelings. She would love the opportunity to share what really happened. Some of the 'facts' in the newspapers were distorted. For instance, LS never gave my sister a ride home. My dad (almost 81) is in a nursing home but his mind is still sharp. It would be awesome to see justice for what LS did.

I need to be careful what I say so that I don’t jeopardize this case. I am anxious to see what evidence they still have. PLEASE pray that they find all the old evidence and can use forensic science to prove this case. “Just because he was never indicted doesn’t mean he is no longer a suspect.”

The detective is going to contact my mom in the next week to discuss the ‘facts’. I will post more as I can. God bless you all!

 

[Cubby]

That is wonderful news Jack! I will be praying all of the evidence collected is found and forensics can solve this case!

I understand your being cautious with what you post, rightfully so.
If I might suggest, perhaps ask the detective what is ok to share here.
If nothing else, he will say no, or such and such is ok to share....

I'm so glad you found us, and this is helping move this case along.

I'll be looking forward to an update from you when you can!

Continued prayers....

 

[rpipergirl]

Jack, That is awesome. I pray they still all the evidence so they can crack Debbie's case once and for all and bring justice to your family and very elderly parents. I am so glad I posted her case here. I found Debbie on the Dupage site looking at another case and it just struck me. I had to put it up.

 

[LisaWilliams]

This is GREAT news....I will await posting more for what should and perhaps should not be posted here. Jack, my heart goes out to you and your family....my friend, Debbie, has never been forgotten.

 

[Cubby]

This is GREAT news....I will await posting more for what should and perhaps should not be posted here. Jack, my heart goes out to you and your family....my friend, Debbie, has never been forgotten.

Hi Lisa

Just a suggestion with posting. Anything facts the police have already released to the media should be ok. Discussion regarding what has been released to the media.

I hope this helps and feel free to ask me any questions regarding posting either here on the forum or through a visitor message.

Let's pray DuPage can get this case closed!

 

[shadowangel]

I have no real way of understanding how difficult it must be, bringing up memories of this horrific event. However, I've never been a believer in the adage that "justice delayed is justice denied". Justice, no matter how long the time it takes to achieve, honors the memory of the victim.

My thoughts and prayers are not only with Debbie's family, but also with the detectives newly assigned to her case. I hope they know that we will do all that is within our power to support them.

 

[Abbey5]

Wow, that's really surprising. I'm surprised the family would let him anywhere near the funeral. Wasn't he in custody by then?

LS wasn't in custody until early Tuesday morning. I cannot believe they had the nerve to show up.

 

[Abbey5]

Abbey5- in one of your older posts you mention reading a media article where someone with a white car was cleared, do you recall the name?

A 22 year old man who was known to drive a white car was questioned during the night (Friday) and released. They never named the man.

On Tuesday morning when LS was arrested LE let go two people who they had been questioning.

 

[shadowangel]

Found this article about a man who was convicted of several rapes and murders in the area. While his MO included bite marks, one of his victims was a 14 year old girl whose body was found badly beaten near her home in Carol Stream on September 13, 1972. I don't know his age or if he was in the area when Debbie was murdered but it wouldn't hurt to do a little digging on the perp in this case. One of his other murders was a mother and her 3 yr old child, so age wasn't necessarily a factor to this guy. We also don't know if Debbie was tall for her age. In 5th grade I was already 5'2" so she could have been as tall as an adult already.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...q=wayne+shimp+dupage+county+bureau+of+i&hl=en

I was looking into info on serial killers who may have been active in the area and came upon someone of interest...Only to then realize that Cubby had posted about the same person (without mentioning the name). I went through a lot of sites, and news articles, so I'm not positing every link--and, since family and friends are reading here, I'm not posting certain details. I will however provide one link that provides a sufficient overview for those interested.

Richard Otto Macek was born in '47 or '48 in Chicago, making him 18 or 19 at the time of Debbie's death. While he was in elementary school in Elmwood, IL (near Peoria) he was caught stealing his neighbors' panties.
In 1966, he was arrested for peering into womens' windows with a small hand telescope.
As referenced by Cubby above, in 1972 he beat and stabbed 14 year old Sally Kandal to death near her home in Carol Stream. Though another person was convicted of the crime, that conviction was overturned in 1994 when a reevaluation of the forensic evidence implicated Macek.
In 1974 Macek murdered Nancy Lossman and her 3 year old daughter Lisa in Crystal Lake.
A criminal profiler who interviewed Macek extensively believed he was responsible for at least 8 murders, maybe more, in Illinois and Wisconsin. While serving sentences for 2 murders and 2 attempted murders, Macek hanged himself in his cell in 1987. He was 39.
Macek was known as The Mad Biter due to the nature of his attacks on his victims. Macek went so far as to have all his teeth removed, but LE were able to locate the dentist who pulled Macek's teeth and create a reconstruction exact enough to secure a conviction.

Macek was around Chicago and its suburbs for most of his early life into adulthood. Though I dont know the area, Carol Stream, Crystal Lake, and McHenry County all appear close enough to the West Chicago area (by map) to make it possible that he was in fact passably familiar with the area.

One other "signature" of Macek's attacks which stood out to me when thinking of the descriptions we've read of Debbie's wounds...Not only did Macek strangle some of his victims, he also was known to attack the eyes with a penknife.

USA - Macek, Richard Otto - The Mad Biter - Truly Unusual

 

[Abbey5]

So it appears, John Schofield would not have had a great influence on the direction of this case after he passed away, and Shadowangels thought the case came to a halt once LS was not indicted was spot.

I got the impression from all of the articles I read that the Schofiled family was highly regarded in the community. JS died in May '67 one month after he was re-elected Wayne Township Road Commissoner. So, I really think that JS's postition and the family influence did help LS.

 

[shadowangel]

I agree regarding LS's clothing. Did LE collect two sets of clothing both fake? One set real one fake? Fake in that they were not the actual clothing LS wore that day? Did LE every verify the clothing they collect was in fact what LS wore that day?

I re-read some of the articles that karefree had posted, and noticed something that passed me by--the charred trousers were found in LS's car.

Burnt pants and ducks. Still makes perfect sense to me.

 

[Abbey5]

I was looking into info on serial killers who may have been active in the area and came upon someone of interest...Only to then realize that Cubby had posted about the same person (without mentioning the name). I went through a lot of sites, and news articles, so I'm not positing every link--and, since family and friends are reading here, I'm not posting certain details. I will however provide one link that provides a sufficient overview for those interested.

Richard Otto Macek was born in '47 or '48 in Chicago, making him 18 or 19 at the time of Debbie's death. While he was in elementary school in Elmwood, IL (near Peoria) he was caught stealing his neighbors' panties.
In 1966, he was arrested for peering into womens' windows with a small hand telescope.
As referenced by Cubby above, in 1972 he beat and stabbed 14 year old Sally Kandal to death near her home in Carol Stream. Though another person was convicted of the crime, that conviction was overturned in 1994 when a reevaluation of the forensic evidence implicated Macek.
In 1974 Macek murdered Nancy Lossman and her 3 year old daughter Lisa in Crystal Lake.
A criminal profiler who interviewed Macek extensively believed he was responsible for at least 8 murders, maybe more, in Illinois and Wisconsin. While serving sentences for 2 murders and 2 attempted murders, Macek hanged himself in his cell in 1987. He was 39.
Macek was known as The Mad Biter due to the nature of his attacks on his victims. Macek went so far as to have all his teeth removed, but LE were able to locate the dentist who pulled Macek's teeth and create a reconstruction exact enough to secure a conviction.

Macek was around Chicago and its suburbs for most of his early life into adulthood. Though I dont know the area, Carol Stream, Crystal Lake, and McHenry County all appear close enough to the West Chicago area (by map) to make it possible that he was in fact passably familiar with the area.

One other "signature" of Macek's attacks which stood out to me when thinking of the descriptions we've read of Debbie's wounds...Not only did Macek strangle some of his victims, he also was known to attack the eyes with a penknife.

This is quite interesting. I'll do some more reading from the link you supplied.

I ran across an article next to one for LS. I wish I could provide a link but this is from ancestry webside and you cannot do that. So, I'll just do a summary of what I read. Russell Charles Dewey, 25 years old, from Rockford, IL, a landscaper was charged with murder of a 11 year old girl. Susan Brady of Rockford. He fled to San Diego, CA and was being transported back for trial. Susan disappeared on the evening of Dec. 20th, 1965 as she was walking back from a friend's house.

I haven't done anymore research on this guy yet but considering the area and time it is close.

 

[Abbey5]

This info is from that same article you pointed me to, "We Have Our Man". The article mentions that LS was visited in jail by "his father and two of his brothers, Wayne and John" as well as his attorney, Robert Chapski.

I still can't save the article to share it, maybe because as a purchased article access to it expires in 90 days. I'm not the most computer-savvy person as it is.

Your not alone because I could not save it either.

 

[shadowangel]

<snipped>
When Tony arrived home (from college?) he drove to where Debbie's body was at like 2:00 in the morning.....interesting IMO. We both (Debbie and I) spent time at Tony's house. If my memory serves me correctly, we would babysit his child while he and his brother had pool parties.

I take this to mean AV himself had a child?

 

[Abbey5]

So then Edna Margaret Klein, from the above is LS's mom.

Wow, just wow......

This would have been his wife not his Mother.

This even further states how this families roots are to the community.

 

[shadowangel]

LS's wife was Mary Anne Schlugen (unless you mean EMK was JS's wife).