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

[Cubby]

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.

Ditto.

Welcome to WS Lisa. Thank you for your input. We had wondered about the bus. I thought perhaps the bus was for the opposing schools team?

Any memories are welcome and appreciated!

 

[Cubby]

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.

BBM. I agree. But this isn't the mid 60's anymore.... and I just pray this case can be solved.

 

[Cubby]

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.....

BBM. Lisa, I missed this first time around reading your post. Was on the way to get out of here to bring my son to his grandma's. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. May I ask, were you ever interviewed by LE?

As you have read, Debbie's brother Jack recently found us. For which I am glad for a few reasons. I think witnesses still being around, the family being encouraged to know they have the support behind them to pursue this again. I am hoping we find more of your and Debbies peers, former teachers to participate here.... If for nothing else to let Debbies family know she has never been forgotten.

I think, this just might be the turning point, family being involved again, to get DuPage to take a close look at this case again. Without that 'some kind of development' to look at it again, it may not have been and this might just be it!

I'm going to work on doing what I can to find someone to run another story on this case. The last journalist who wrote a story a few years back about Debbie is no longer with the Daily Herald.

Once Jack posts again, and lets us know how is contact went with DuPage, perhaps he might be encouraged or suggest you contact DuPage as well.

I don't know who is currently the detective or investigator assigned to cold cases. I don't even know if the two mentioned in the most recent article about Debbie are still with DuPage. The only name I know at DuPage Sheriffs office from various news articles is Mark Edwalds who is
Detective Commander at DuPage County Sheriff. I have his email because I sent in a tip on an unrelated case. Perhaps we can get him to take a look at Debbies case. Everything I have read about Mark Edwalds has been very positive, and he has been around since at least the mid 80's.

I am hoping Debbie is smiling down on us from heaven, spreading her wings and saying it is time.... it is time. And that the long overdue justice for Debbie will start becoming swift. I just have that feeling......

Welcome again to WS Lisa. You have our support with the loss of your friend and your classmate too.

 

[shadowangel]

The Cold Cases unit email of the Dupage County Sheriff's Dep't is that of Mark Edwald's.
http://www.dupageco.org/sheriff/unsolved%20murders.htm

 

[Cubby]

The Cold Cases unit email of the Dupage County Sheriff's Dep't is that of Mark Edwald's.
http://www.dupageco.org/sheriff/unsolved murders.htm

Thanks, sometimes I am just slow, lol. Maybe I give more thought to some things than I should. :crazy:

 

[shadowangel]

Thanks, sometimes I am just slow, lol. Maybe I give more thought to some things than I should. :crazy:

Not at all... I was just confirming that you were correct.

 

[Cubby]

I knew that Shadow' I just need to laugh at myself sometimes....
to offset too much of what we read and do here at WS.

 

[Abbey5]

I emailed Mark Edwalds yesterday morning and got a response back that I should contact the new division commander Frank Bibbiano's assistant. She said that no one was in the office and forwarded me to leave a message on a detective Brown's voice mail. I'm sure this number is public but I don't know if I can post it here.

 

[shadowangel]

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.

This brings me back to a line of thinking I had earlier on.

Could it be that we, and law enforcement at the time as well, were looking in the right house...But the wrong side of the bed?

 

[Abbey5]

This brings me back to a line of thinking I had earlier on.

Could it be that we, and law enforcement at the time as well, were looking in the right house...But the wrong side of the bed?

Yes, I think you might be onto something here. I have a few other things to throw into this mix and would like to know what you think about it. LS and his wife moved into their home only a few months before Debbie's death. And at that time they had been married for about 6 years. I know back then lots of people lived with their parents to save money...times were tough. But that is a very long time to live with your parents.

I have a very bad feeling that this family knew something was wrong with LS and covered him for a very long time. There were magazines or photo's also at the Schofield farm that LE took as evidence. This guy had things at his parents home, his home and at the school.

 

[Abbey5]

Anthony Verive was 19 years old and her neighbor. It really would be interesting to hear his side of the story considering he was the one that found Debbie.

 

[rpipergirl]

This is Jack Fijan (52). I am the younger brother of Debbie Fijan. Debbie was about 1.5 years older than me (now I am the oldest). I stumbled across this blog by ‘Googling’ my name. Wow, what a surprise!
My parents, brother, and three sisters are all doing well. We still think about Debbie often. In June, 1968, my family moved to Florida to get away from it all.
About seven years ago, two detectives went to my parent’s house for hair samples (to establish DNA). Those detectives are no longer on the case and the case has gone cold again.
We would love to see LS see justice for what he did but we are not sure how to make it happen. It’s not easy for my parents to talk about this. And, as you can imagine, it still haunts my mom.
On a God note, 12 years ago I married a woman named Debbie and adopted her infant son. Debbie’s son has the same birthday as my sister Debbie. My mom said it was like God bringing some healing by bringing Debbie back into the family. God has blessed my parents with 24 grandchildren.
Thank you for your time and interest in this case!!!!!!! I am going to tell my parents and siblings about this site so you will hear more from us in the near future.

Welcome to WS,Jack, I am so glad you found our forum. I have posted Debbie's case on missing/murdered site as well as here and my blog. I hope and pray we can help you get justice for Debbie.

 

[Cubby]

This brings me back to a line of thinking I had earlier on.

Could it be that we, and law enforcement at the time as well, were looking in the right house...But the wrong side of the bed?

Maybe but that was not the direction I was thinking. I'm still stuck on LE was too focused on finding the murder weapon to get a conviction in this case. Too tunnel visioned on that one avenue. In a they missed the forest for the road thing......

Not only does DNA and todays forensics come to mind, but what about the information from the autopsy indicating Debbie was strangled? What was she strangled with? Hands? What kind of marks, finger prints, bruises.... what else was there?

I think we have only scratched the surface of what can be done to solve this case here in our discussions based on media articles...

ETA: Of course your theory should be explored too Shadow.... so many questions!

 

[rpipergirl]

From Abbey5's post.




I imagine it is because LS had time to talk to someone about this over the weekend, most likely his father, who told him to shut up and quit cooperating. I don't buy for a moment that LS had a sudden case of amnesia on Monday. His father had too much to lose if his son was convicted of this murder.

jmo

I couldn't agree more. He had a TON to lose in reputation alone. Police always have things they hold back from the media so they can tie the real killer to a case. I know I watch too much SVU LOL.

 

[rpipergirl]

and another:


MATCH BOOT PRINT IN CAR TO SLAIN GIRL
[SIZE=-1]Pay-Per-View - Chicago Tribune - ProQuest Archiver[SIZE=-1] - Feb 17, 1966[/SIZE]
[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]Hopf said the car has been impounded by Sheriff Stanley Lynch and has been examined for possible evidence. No finger prints of Debbie's have been found in ... [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]All 11 related[/SIZE] - [SIZE=-1]Related web pages[/SIZE]

I would like to know on what date was the car impounded. Was there a big enough barn on the Schofield farm for LS to have pulled the car into the barn the weekend after Debbie went missing and thoroughly clean it?

That leaves me to wonder again about JS not allowing LE on his property to search.

excellent point,Cubby. He could have easily done that. Who's gonna tell LE the animals?

 

[Cubby]

I emailed Mark Edwalds yesterday morning and got a response back that I should contact the new division commander Frank Bibbiano's assistant. She said that no one was in the office and forwarded me to leave a message on a detective Brown's voice mail. I'm sure this number is public but I don't know if I can post it here.

This is really good to know. This is the first time I have seen Frank Bibbiano's name. Can I ask you to do me a favor? I have used up all I am allowed to add on the 'tags' at the bottom of this thread. Can you add Franks first and last name to the tags section here? ( lower right hand corner it will read edit tags; click on edit tags and add his first and last name. )

TIA!

if nothing else, all these tags we add will come up in google searches.. to bring more attention to Debbies case.

 

[rpipergirl]

'We've Got Our Man,' Sheriff Says

[SIZE=-1]Pay-Per-View - Chicago Tribune - ProQuest Archiver[SIZE=-1] - Feb 16, 1966[/SIZE]
[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]It was taken down by a court reporter and Schofield was not asked to sign it because it had not been transcribed at the time, Hopf said. ... [/SIZE]

What does this mean? Was there a court reporter there who took hand notes? Did they record the interogations back then? Why couldn't LS sign that statement? Why did it matter it had not been transcribed?

I don't know... would seem to make sense to ask the prime suspect to sign when he is about to or very close to confessing. Not sometime later after he has time to think about it and talk to others about it.

Talk about dropping the ball.It's not worth the paper it's written on!:waitasec:

 

[Cubby]

excellent point,Cubby. He could have easily done that. Who's gonna tell LE the animals?

Between playing 'taxi' to chickens in the trunk (That was a good one Shadow") and the oh my wife has those same boots reply from LS regarding why a boot print that matched Debbies was in his car.

Did LE get PROOF that LS's wife and Debbie happened to wear identical winter boots?

 

[shadowangel]

Between playing 'taxi' to chickens in the trunk (That was a good one Shadow") and the oh my wife has those same boots reply from LS regarding why a boot print that matched Debbies was in his car.

Did LE get PROOF that LS's wife and Debbie happened to wear identical winter boots?

A 29 year old woman and a 10 year old girl wearing the same style (and I assume size) of boots...Makes as much sense as anything else the Schofields had to say.

 

[Abbey5]

Not only does DNA and todays forensics come to mind, but what about the information from the autopsy indicating Debbie was strangled? What was she strangled with? Hands? What kind of marks, finger prints, bruises.... what else was there?

Dupage County Coroner Samuel Lewis said bruises found on Debbie's throat, the back of her neck and one the size of a half-dollar on the chin indicate that she was choked and beaten before she died. This was in an article in the Sheboygan Press Feb 17, 1966.

I agree that there is more that we don't know.