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

[Cubby]

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.

Why am I wanting to quote Jose Baez right now? :waitasec: or was it something like the truth and Casey Anthony are strangers- from someone else. I'm sure I am misquoting.

What will be more strange is someone thought lies they could have made up 44 years ago would stand the test of time.

JMVHO

 

[rpipergirl]

As I was reading the latest posts and catching up it ocurred to me that it may be possible he was molesting her. Him saying she was annoying at school and gave too much attention to his baby set alarm bells off for me. i knew a teacher who molested his student/babysitter.

 

[Cubby]

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.

Maybe they both wore the same size 12 mens work boots?

I'm also forgetting where I read LS had scratch marks on his hands he claimed to have gotten from raking?

I thought I remembered reading that, but can not find where. Though I could have incorporated that into a dream... I fall asleep with forensic files on TV sometimes.... and wake up with whatever I am hearing on TV incorporated into the dream I might remember upon waking.

 

[Tricia]

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.

Dear Jack,

Welcome to Websleuths. I can speak for everyone when I say we are so glad you found us.

The members of Websleuths are the best group of "sleuthers" you will find on the Internet.

Jack, because we do discuss and sleuth so many cases we had to implement a rule about verifying certain posters.

Being that you are Debbie's brother I would like to speak to you. Could you please email me at [email protected] with a number and a time to call you?

I would appreciate it. Thank you.

We are here to help and hopefully provide you with the answers you and your family are looking for.

Sincerely,
Tricia Griffith
Owner/Websleuths.com

 

[shadowangel]

Knowing her mom was on the way to get her, I can't see Debbie getting into LS's car voluntarily...Unless of course he lied to her and told her that he (LS) had called her mom and okay'd it. I doubt Debbie would have questioned him.

Maybe she wanted to see the baby, and that set LS off?

 

[Cubby]

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.

That is a whole nother direction I haven't give much more thought to yet due to both Shadow' and I finding the same background info on the two AV's.

I would like to hear his story too...

I am adding this as - just because... not directed at anyone.

PLEASE, sleuths, DO NOT bother 'players' you read named here in this thread out of curiousity. WS never condones contacting people or players just because kind of thing.

If you have a question, please direct it to myself via PM or Visitor message. There is no moderator assigned to the cold case forum, but as a mini moderator at other area's here at WS, I will be keeping a close eye on this thread to make sure it continues to stay in the same direction we are used to here at WS.

Thanks!

Cubby

Things might be breaking on this case, key word 'might' and I know WS will not allow this thread or those involved with Debbies case to be approached in any way other than the utmost professional manner necessary to solve this case.

 

[Cubby]

Knowing her mom was on the way to get her, I can't see Debbie getting into LS's car voluntarily...Unless of course he lied to her and told her that he (LS) had called her mom and okay'd it. I doubt Debbie would have questioned him.

Maybe she wanted to see the baby, and that set LS off?

Remember when he said Debbie frustrated or annoyed him?

I think he meant in a personal way, even though he said in a student teacher way.

I can picture this as he sent her home, she was walking.. Heck, I was a 'walker' back in the day. Kids walk slowly.

I think he sent her home, was on his way home... and the timing was either planned or he lost whatever last bit of self control he had...

Maybe he slowed down when he was driving and approached her or she waved, so he took that as the wrong sign.

I don't know.... it's hard to say as much is speculative.

The timeline has to be very very short as the time Debbie left school and the time her mother left to pick her up... they would not have missed each other. I am sure it was a 3-4 minute drive for mom to get to school and how long would it have taken Debbie to walk from school to Fair Oaks? 2.5 blocks... and closer to city blocks IIRC.

I need to drive by there... maybe late tomorrow afternoon. I don't have a camera to take pics, but can do the mileage on the car.

 

[rpipergirl]

Debbie's mom would have had to pass right by the crime scene on her way to pick Debbie up. did she see anything that sticks out in hindsite that ment nothing then?

 

[Cubby]

Debbie's mom would have had to pass right by the crime scene on her way to pick Debbie up. did she see anything that sticks out in hindsite that ment nothing then?

She would have.... very easily, in about the time it might take someone to drive around the corner and come back.

It was .8 miles from Debbies home to the school, and another .8 miles between where Debbie was found and where the childhood home of the prime suspect LS.

 

[shadowangel]

I've been trying to 'map out' the evening in my mind. Speculating, for the most part...These are just some random thoughts I'd like some input on.

LS is at the school with Debbie around 5:20-5:30. Debbie's mom arrives shortly thereafter to find Debbie is gone. (Or is she? Could LS have taken her back into the school?)

Anyway..LS takes her from the school to another location. Debbie had to have been killed outside the car, as 19 stab wounds would have bled profusely.
After killing Debbie, he transports her (in the trunk with her books and the mounted duck?) to the place she is later found. Again, there would have copious amounts of blood. Could she have been wrapped in something? Would this account for the fibers found on Debbie's boots?

LS returns home (his own, or maybe his dad's). At some point he finds out about the search-anyone read the details of how he found out that Debbie was missing?-and returns to the school to destroy the photos. Wouldn't the school have been the most likely place to center the search? Wouldnt the area be crawling with investigators? How did he get inside the school, and how did he operate the incinerator without anyone knowing?

Didnt girls Debbie's age, in this timeframe, usually keep diaries? I wonder if anything was ever found by the family mentioning her thoughts and feelings toward LS. Could there have been notes among the literature which LS and Mrs LS destroyed?

Thanks for reading my ramblings, I feel better now.

 

[Cubby]

Excellent points Shadow'

I agree the wounds did not happen in the car.

Wooded area, just woods and farms..
Debbie trusted this person...
I wish I could give you the map from my mind... The links were the best I can do.

The only other thing I can add, is this area frequently flooded and was very muddy... If it was a warm february, there should have been lots of tire marks, farm equipment marks.... Enough warmth to melt the snow? Why was there no blood found? If there was no evidence of blood found, there had to be a quick easy clean up.

IIRC, the timeline was short and the search began about 6:30pm. I don't know if that was when LE was notified Debbie was missing, or if that is when family and neighbors began the search. Let's not forget, Debbies mother most likely drive back and forth between home and school looking for her daughter so we can about eliminate anything happening on Fair Oaks Rd.

5:10-5:30 the last time debbie was seen.
5:15-5:40 the time between when Debbies mom started looking for her.
6:30 Official search begins/ LS gets phone call debbie is missing per news archives.

10:30 and 11:00 pm Debbie found per news archives

Somewhere in this timeline LS has time to help with the search,
and go back to the school to burn .

Just how much he helped searching is yet to be determined. Nor has it yet to be determined where his wife and son where during the search. Or JS or Mrs. JS........

ETA: and when did the janitor/custodian leave the school after the basketball game?

 

[shadowangel]

When LS made the statement to police that he was "checking the roads to see how they are", he spoke of his knowledge of the area roads. Having worked for the highway dep't for possibly two years, I'm sure he knew every wide spot and turn-off in order to avoid being seen. That's the only way it makes sense to me.

 

[shadowangel]

We have to wonder about the custodian...I dont think just anyone would have access to the school's incinerator, and besides LS shouldnt have had access to the school after hours (usually one of the custodial staff will work late for games and practices to clean and lock up).

 

[Cubby]

We have to wonder about the custodian...I dont think just anyone would have access to the school's incinerator, and besides LS shouldnt have had access to the school after hours (usually one of the custodial staff will work late for games and practices to clean and lock up).

but... in this area, in the 60's no one locked their doors. I have met people out in Hampshire, just west of this area who were not locking doors in 2000.

This was, literally the outskirts of Chicago that was just starting to grow in 1966. That college you or anyone reading the news links about back in 66 when the biggest problem was the 2000 drivers on the roads per day is now one of the best junior colleges in the country.

If I can give my best Dupage how do I explain this area not just in the last 20 years but 40? Think of what we now know as NE Iowa? People still establishing towns when the failure of not getting main rail road lines earlier in the century were still called by name....and this county was just growing out of it's infancy.

 

[Cubby]

When LS made the statement to police that he was "checking the roads to see how they are", he spoke of his knowledge of the area roads. Having worked for the highway dep't for possibly two years, I'm sure he knew every wide spot and turn-off in order to avoid being seen. That's the only way it makes sense to me.

BBM
Peacock. I see them at brookfield zoo all the time...
Maybe he said the feathers were from pheasants.....

If it worked in 66 too bad you never got it fixed!
Try to find that on a map LS!

 

[rpipergirl]

I've been trying to 'map out' the evening in my mind. Speculating, for the most part...These are just some random thoughts I'd like some input on.

LS is at the school with Debbie around 5:20-5:30. Debbie's mom arrives shortly thereafter to find Debbie is gone. (Or is she? Could LS have taken her back into the school?)

Anyway..LS takes her from the school to another location. Debbie had to have been killed outside the car, as 19 stab wounds would have bled profusely.
After killing Debbie, he transports her (in the trunk with her books and the mounted duck?) to the place she is later found. Again, there would have copious amounts of blood. Could she have been wrapped in something? Would this account for the fibers found on Debbie's boots?

LS returns home (his own, or maybe his dad's). At some point he finds out about the search-anyone read the details of how he found out that Debbie was missing?-and returns to the school to destroy the photos. Wouldn't the school have been the most likely place to center the search? Wouldnt the area be crawling with investigators? How did he get inside the school, and how did he operate the incinerator without anyone knowing?

Didnt girls Debbie's age, in this timeframe, usually keep diaries? I wonder if anything was ever found by the family mentioning her thoughts and feelings toward LS. Could there have been notes among the literature which LS and Mrs LS destroyed?

Thanks for reading my ramblings, I feel better now.

You are right there would be a whole lot of blood. It makes me wonder where the primary crime scene is. Did they ever determine that?

 

[shadowangel]

A few latter-day articles/headlines I've found (such as one from 1999) state that neither the murder weapon nor the actual crime scene were ever found.

 

[shadowangel]

I thought I had posted this, but I guess I haven't... The Monday after Debbie's murder was LS's birthday. Profilers often speak of 'stressors' which set murderers off. Since his baby received little boats that Debbie made, could LS have been expecting something from Debbie? (Going back to the whole 'resentment' statement).

 

[rpipergirl]

Yeah, Shadowangel, and maybe not something good the way he was talking. TY for answering my question re: primary crime scene. I'm wondering if it was somewhere on the farm. It was very big.

 

[shadowangel]

Yeah, Shadowangel, and maybe not something good the way he was talking. TY for answering my question re: primary crime scene. I'm wondering if it was somewhere on the farm. It was very big.

That certainly seems the most logical choice...Also considering the fact that JS refused to allow law enforcement to search the farm.

Following the weather for the time around Debbie's death (courtesy the Farmers Almanac), the area had experienced cold conditions with some snow previously but that Friday, and a couple of days before, were rather warm. I can only assume that all the 'backroads' were an icy, muddy, swampy mess, which could have concealed the murder scene.