IL IL - Debbie Fijan, 10, DuPage County, 11 Feb 1966 - #2

[Cubby]

I spoke with one of the detectives in DuPage on Tuesday. Not the detective handling Debbies case, but one of the head honcho's I've been in contact with regarding two other cases here in DuPage.

I had not spoken with him regarding Debbies case previously, but brought it up to see what kind of 'status' check he could offer on the case.

Poor guy had to listen to me half jokingly say, when October comes can we Cub fans be more excited about Debbies case having an immenent arrest than the Cubs making a world series. He answered he didn't know now to answer my question, so I let him know that was just an expression on how passionate I and others are about following Debbis case and desperately waiting for the case to be solved.

He was able to share the following with me. (Paraphrased).
The dust is definately off of Debbies case. The detective handling Debbies case is still in frequent contact with Debbies family. They are aware of the mistakes made in this case "back in the day" and they believe the case is solvable.

While not a whole lot, that information was very encouraging to me. Especially to know LE is aware of mistakes made early on - My interpretation of that statement is: they've come to light and are being re-addressed reworked and every detail is being looked over- no stone left unturned. It is also very encouraging to me to know the contact between Debbies family and LE is STILL very frequent telling me the case is continuing to moving forward and has enough info to not become stagnant again.

When an arrest(s) comes or LE tells us Debbies case has been solved I'll be celebrating with more excitement than if the Cubs had won the world series.( and I mean that literally. ) I'm praying it is sooner rather than later, but whenever it happens as long as it does happen. I am happy to wait it out and let Debbies family and friends know even though the thread is not as active as it was, since we have not uncovered any new info, the passion for this case hasn't changed or slowed. We are still praying for closure with this case as fervently as always.

 

[milopedes]

Interesting case. But for the casual lurker, far too many posts to read. It would be helpful to post a synopsis of facts known, if someone "in the know" wouldn't mind. Something in bullet point format, or whatever.

A synopsis of suspects, or varying theories posited by WS readers, would also be helpful. I jumped form the initial thread, read some, and jumped around on this thread a bit. But names and initials changed and I got a bit lost. I'm assuming some of the conversation was about a local serial killer, and people speculating on whether he was guilty.

If I had more time, I would read every post in each thread. But I lurk at work, so I haven't had time to delve into this as much as I'd like, and most of the links posted were pay-to-view only and not very helpful to me toward obtaining factual information.

From what I've read, it appears to me that Loren F. Schofield is guilty. You can place him at her last known location, he was familar with the victim, and his alleged statements during police interrogation were incriminating IMO. Plus, he failed multiple polygraph tests . . . not making him 100% guilty, but that does say something.

What I'd like to know is why he was never charged. Was he able to get rid of evidence (i.e., at school / home, clothes, etc.), or was all this just speculation. And if things were burned, how do we know for sure? Did he admit to doing these things, or is this just speculation? Were there witnesses? Did his wife admit to disposing of photos? And if so, what was her involvement?

So many questions to ask. I think a recap or synopsis of facts would help kick-start this with some fresh eyes / views, maybe raising new questions, but without that I'm at a loss beyond what I've posted.

Thanks and good luck!

 

[Cubby]

Interesting case. But for the casual lurker, far too many posts to read. It would be helpful to post a synopsis of facts known, if someone "in the know" wouldn't mind. Something in bullet point format, or whatever.

A synopsis of suspects, or varying theories posited by WS readers, would also be helpful. I jumped form the initial thread, read some, and jumped around on this thread a bit. But names and initials changed and I got a bit lost. I'm assuming some of the conversation was about a local serial killer, and people speculating on whether he was guilty.

If I had more time, I would read every post in each thread. But I lurk at work, so I haven't had time to delve into this as much as I'd like, and most of the links posted were pay-to-view only and not very helpful to me toward obtaining factual information.

From what I've read, it appears to me that Loren F. Schofield is guilty. You can place him at her last known location, he was familar with the victim, and his alleged statements during police interrogation were incriminating IMO. Plus, he failed multiple polygraph tests . . . not making him 100% guilty, but that does say something.

What I'd like to know is why he was never charged. Was he able to get rid of evidence (i.e., at school / home, clothes, etc.), or was all this just speculation. And if things were burned, how do we know for sure? Did he admit to doing these things, or is this just speculation? Were there witnesses? Did his wife admit to disposing of photos? And if so, what was her involvement?

So many questions to ask. I think a recap or synopsis of facts would help kick-start this with some fresh eyes / views, maybe raising new questions, but without that I'm at a loss beyond what I've posted.

Thanks and good luck!

Welcome to Debbies thread milopedes. I will try and summarize. Loren Schofield is and has always been the prime suspect in Debbies case. He was charged with Debbies murder in Feb of 1966 but in May of 66 a grand jury refused to indict based on the lack of evidence or not enough evidence to convict. After he was not indicted he filed a libel lawsuit against DuPage and two of the investigators in the case. The results of which are unknown. Don't know if the case was dropped settled he lost or what.

The info on the and burning the and clothing is all from media articles where Loren and his wife admitted to such. Some of the links are free, others are snippets of what we were able to make out of the little info from google describing the PPV articles. Abbey5 and Shadowangel both paid for some articles and paraphrased what they learnt/read but were unable to link the file type they purchased.

The discussion on the serial killer was posed as a second possible suspect and presented to the current investigators working on the case based on possible similiarities between a murder he was believed to have committed but found only after his death. Another man was incarcerated until the mid 90's for the 1972 murder of 14 yr old Sally Kandel of Carol Stream and her body was found within a mile of or appx 2000' from where Debbies body was found 6 years earlier. The man originally convicted of Sally's murder had his conviction overturned when the evidence proved not he, but Macek killed Sally. We never found any evidence to concretely put Richard Otto Macek or ROM, the serial killer, in the area of Debbies murder at or near the time she was murdered. Only that he was in the area of Debbies murder 6 years later. We don't know that DuPage county ever officially acknowledged that Macek and not Milone was in fact responsible for Sally's murder after Milones conviction was overturned in appx 95. I am unsure of the exact year, but it was the mid 90's and DuPage was aware of Macek being a possible perp in Sally's case going back to the early 70's. Media articles show this.

We do not know concretely if Macek has ever been seriously looked at by the detectives currently working on Debbies case, nor do we know if he was looked at but officially ruled out as being responsible for Debbies murder. We just don't know and DuPage has not made that info public as this is still an open murder investigation.

Myself, I believe Schofield is responsible for Debbies murder - his behavior is far too far out there and odd for an innocent person. HOWEVER, in cases such as that of Riley Fox's father and Jerry Hobbs who has been incarcerated for a murder he clearly did not commit (I expect charges to be dropped against Hobbs soon) we don't know for sure what led Schofield to come as close to confessing as he did..... and we still do not have enough evidence to convict. Given that consideration, I am still leaning towards LS being guilty because his behavior was just too bizzare. But strange and bizzare behavior does not convict. Evidence does.....

So I have to keep praying that those investigators currently working Debbies case are able to find conclusive evidence to convict.

Little evidence is in media to indicate what kind if any investigation was done after May 1966 in Debbies case until it was re-opened by DuPage Cold case unit.

We were unable to find any other comparisons with Debbies case and other local murders outside of the possible connection/link to Sally Kandels 1972 murder.

hth with some of your questions.

 

[Cubby]

If I were to take an educated guess, and this is only a guess......

DuPage still has LS high on their list as being responsible for Debbies murder. I would guess that only after they officially ruled LS out - if they are able to do that - would they then look at Macek. Especially since Macek is dead and died in 1986 IIRC. Maceks DNA would have to be obtained from any of his living family members and LE would need a warrant to obtain their dna.... I think...

I sure would like to know if DuPage has collected DNA from Schofield and if he submitted it willingly or not. But that is on a wish list that I know LE is not going to share with me.

All we can do is wait and pray and pray and wait. And pray that the evidence which remains from Debbies case has useful DNA and forensic info with todays forensic technology. I KNOW they are working diligently on this case. It is a top priority, not something that gets looked at only during slow times...... so we will just keep praying and waiting.


Unless of course someones conscience gets the better of them and they need to confess the TRUTH about their responsibility for Debbies murder - which is part of my prayers too. That chance remains a possibility while the suspect or suspects are living.

JMO

 

[milopedes]

Loren F. Schofield (LS) may currently live in Kansas City, Missouri. I found some information online about him, but won't share as I believe doing so wouldn't be appropriate.

Obtaining DNA from an unwilling suspect can be tricky, and costly, given the distance between DuPage and Kansas City (assuming that is him, and not someone else by that name). My guess is that the investigating officers would need a strong case just to get approval to travel and make that attempt. If LS were to refuse, there are other ways.

I'd like to make a few observations / comments. I highly doubt anything I have to say is new, but since I didn't read every single post in the two threads, you might be able to clarify some things or something like that.

LS makes a good suspect, IMO, because he had access to the victim. Had he been at home all night, even given his odd admissions and behavior post-crime, I might not consider him as a strong suspect. But he was a teacher, who knew the victim, who was even on school property the night of the crime. And if I read correctly, he even admitted to seeing her shortly before she was murdered.

At first glance I wondered why he wouldn't simply offer her a ride home, given how close he was to the victim (i.e., former teacher, she spent time with his family, etc.). Particularly given the time of day and the fact it was likely cold, since it was February. But this could easily be explained by several factors:

1. As a scorekeeper / teacher, he might have been busy or had other responsibilities. Maybe merely stopping to ask about her well-being was sufficient to him (in his duty as teacher), and once she appeared OK, he went about his business; and

2. She apparently told him that she had called and her mother was on the way to pick her up. If she didn't live far from school, LS might have known the mother would be there quite soon. So, he felt it was OK to leave her. Or, if he offered to give her a ride then her mom might arrive, not see her, and worry (or be put out). Also, since people apparently saw the victim talking to someone in a white car, there were people around. Maybe LS knew this as well, and felt that with people nearby she'd be OK in the few minutes it took her mother to arrive?

I'd like to know if there is evidence to show that the victim actually called her mother. And were the police able to determine from what phone?

I'd also like to know if Scholfield's vehicle matched the description of the car the victim was seen near? And at what time the witness saw this?

I have other thoughts, but this post is getting long . . .

 

[milopedes]

Many of us believe Loren F. Schofield also appears guilty because he admitted to burning at home and school after the crime occurred. On the surface, this sure does make him look guilty. But in this instance "" is poorly defined, and ranges from photos taken by him and his wife to something far more broad and innocuous (i.e., Playboy magazines).

And I believe the word "photos" were used, rather than "clippings"; thus, leading one to surmise it was the actual pictures rather than something from a magazine. But was this his wording, or that of the press? Difficult to tell.

Regardless, we do know he had something at home and school that was burned. Personally I find it odd that he or his wife would admit to doing this, but that another discussion entirely. I also am disgusted that he had , however you define it, in his desk at school.

While all of these facts are unsettling, to say they least, none of them prove much of anything. We may never know what was burned by LS and wife. But I would offer this for consideration:

If you were in his situation, but knew you were innocent, would you do the same thing? I would say yes. Look, a former student of his that was close to his family and who he'd likely been seen talking to that night was just killed. Knowing he had at school and home, I don't see the action of destroying it as unreasonable. Particularly if the photos, pictures, or clippings involved something (again, we'll likely never know) criminal.

Of course it is easy to say they were burned to destroy evidence in a case that could be built against him - guilty or not. But why admit to doing so? Again, difficult to say.

An obvious line of thinking is that whatever was destroyed involved children. Taking that a step further, it might have involved children in the area or simply been pictures of Debbie. I've worked with sex offenders in the past, and I know that for some the progression starts innocently enough with a normal picture. Over time the victim, who is lavished with praise and attention, is convinced to wear less clothing, etc. LS referred to himself as "sick", I believe, and this could be what he was referring to . . . sexually attracted to children.

Whether the wife knew or not, she had a stake in the freedom of LS. Who would take care of her and the child? Maybe she was involved in some way with the photos or ? Either way, she may have viewed it as being in her best interest to stick by her husband and destroy the photos. She may have also refused to believe he killed Debbie, or he convinced her that he didn't, or maybe he simply didn't do it?

Anyway, sorry if this seems scattered. So many details, I'm trying to wrap my mind around all of this and my thoughts get a bit convoluted.

 

[Cubby]

milopedes.

there is a timeline in thread one somewhere and when I have a little more time I will find it for you.

LS's car was white. One witness who saw a young girl matching Debbies description talking to someone in a white car was the husband of one of the school teachers who had been at the school to pick up his wife. This was about 5:15- when the Janitor left appx 5:40 IIRC he stated he was the last to leave. Before the end of the weekend I will try to find some relevent posts for you.

The was reported as magazines. I'm guessing something like playboy. He also admitted to LE he sometimes "daydreamed" about his students. (I will have to find that post) . The reader will have to interpret what he meant by daydream themself... as he didn't come out and actually say fantasize...

IIRC, it was reported they also tried to burn the clothing LS wore that day..... or MAS, LS's wife admitted to police she orignally gave them the wrong clothing. I'd have to go back to refresh my memory of the details but it was not only the they tried to hide, but also the clothing he wore that day.

There are some maps linked too, which show the route/area. I'm local to the case so know there is a route LS could have made back to the farm near where Debbie was found in a short amount of time and would likely not have passed Debbies mom on her way to pick up Debbie. It was reported LS would not give LE a straight answer on the route he drove home that evening.

Knowing LS is a very devoted Catholic imo, his describing himself as "sick" could have been in relation to his apparent 'addiction' to . One thing that sticks out to me is to what lengths would he have gone to hide his addiction? Or could his daydreaming gotten out of hand? We just don't know.... and of course that is MOO based on the facts we've been able to learn as reported in the case.

Will try and get some links to posts pulled for you in the next few days.

hth

 

[Abbey5]

QUOTE=Cubby;5433959]I spoke with one of the detectives in DuPage on Tuesday. Not the detective handling Debbies case, but one of the head honcho's I've been in contact with regarding two other cases here in DuPage.

I had not spoken with him regarding Debbies case previously, but brought it up to see what kind of 'status' check he could offer on the case.

Poor guy had to listen to me half jokingly say, when October comes can we Cub fans be more excited about Debbies case having an immenent arrest than the Cubs making a world series. He answered he didn't know now to answer my question, so I let him know that was just an expression on how passionate I and others are about following Debbis case and desperately waiting for the case to be solved.

He was able to share the following with me. (Paraphrased).
The dust is definately off of Debbies case. The detective handling Debbies case is still in frequent contact with Debbies family. They are aware of the mistakes made in this case "back in the day" and they believe the case is solvable.

While not a whole lot, that information was very encouraging to me. Especially to know LE is aware of mistakes made early on - My interpretation of that statement is: they've come to light and are being re-addressed reworked and every detail is being looked over- no stone left unturned. It is also very encouraging to me to know the contact between Debbies family and LE is STILL very frequent telling me the case is continuing to moving forward and has enough info to not become stagnant again.

When an arrest(s) comes or LE tells us Debbies case has been solved I'll be celebrating with more excitement than if the Cubs had won the world series.( and I mean that literally. ) I'm praying it is sooner rather than later, but whenever it happens as long as it does happen. I am happy to wait it out and let Debbies family and friends know even though the thread is not as active as it was, since we have not uncovered any new info, the passion for this case hasn't changed or slowed. We are still praying for closure with this case as fervently as always.

This is very encouraging news Cubby! Thanks for letting us know!

 

[Abbey5]

Loren F. Schofield (LS) may currently live in Kansas City, Missouri. I found some information online about him, but won't share as I believe doing so wouldn't be appropriate.

Obtaining DNA from an unwilling suspect can be tricky, and costly, given the distance between DuPage and Kansas City (assuming that is him, and not someone else by that name). My guess is that the investigating officers would need a strong case just to get approval to travel and make that attempt. If LS were to refuse, there are other ways.

I'd like to make a few observations / comments. I highly doubt anything I have to say is new, but since I didn't read every single post in the two threads, you might be able to clarify some things or something like that.

LS makes a good suspect, IMO, because he had access to the victim. Had he been at home all night, even given his odd admissions and behavior post-crime, I might not consider him as a strong suspect. But he was a teacher, who knew the victim, who was even on school property the night of the crime. And if I read correctly, he even admitted to seeing her shortly before she was murdered.

At first glance I wondered why he wouldn't simply offer her a ride home, given how close he was to the victim (i.e., former teacher, she spent time with his family, etc.). Particularly given the time of day and the fact it was likely cold, since it was February. But this could easily be explained by several factors:

1. As a scorekeeper / teacher, he might have been busy or had other responsibilities. Maybe merely stopping to ask about her well-being was sufficient to him (in his duty as teacher), and once she appeared OK, he went about his business; and

2. She apparently told him that she had called and her mother was on the way to pick her up. If she didn't live far from school, LS might have known the mother would be there quite soon. So, he felt it was OK to leave her. Or, if he offered to give her a ride then her mom might arrive, not see her, and worry (or be put out). Also, since people apparently saw the victim talking to someone in a white car, there were people around. Maybe LS knew this as well, and felt that with people nearby she'd be OK in the few minutes it took her mother to arrive?

I'd like to know if there is evidence to show that the victim actually called her mother. And were the police able to determine from what phone?

I'd also like to know if Scholfield's vehicle matched the description of the car the victim was seen near? And at what time the witness saw this?

I have other thoughts, but this post is getting long . . .

Yes, we did know that LS is living in MO.

I have yet to read if they ever did collect DNA from LS. We do know they collected it from Debbie's parents about four or five years ago. They went to Florida to collect it. Debbie's brother Jack posted this in the first thread.

There is no evidence that Debbie called her mother. LS was the one who stated Debbie said she called her mother. Debbie's mother knew she was at school keeping time for the basketball game and was going to pick her up after the game. The game had been delayed because of music practice. Her mother went to pick her up at around 5:10 p.m. and Debbie was not there. LS stated he saw her in the hallway at school and then outside in the playground and he stated that she had said she was waiting for her mother. The school janitor left at 5:30 p.m. and said that he was the last one to leave the school and didn't see anyone else there. So, from 5:10-5:30 p.m. is the time where LS said he saw her and I'm guessing when a witness said they saw a girl talking to someone in a white car. There were three people in the area with a white car: LS, the janitor and AV (a neighbor boy of the Fijans who was home from college). LS received a phone call at 6:30 p.m. from Debbie's parents stating that she was missing and he went to help with the search with a neighbor. We don't know when he got home from school.

I understand what you are saying about LS wanting to go back to the school and destroy the pictures. That alone would not make him a prime suspect in the murder. There is way more to this case than that. LS admitted to daydreaming about his pupils. LS told LE that he was sick, needed help, that he shouldn't be on the streets and that he did not want to go home. I know shadowangel and cubby found some really good articles in the first thread.

I don't know if you are familiar with the area this murder took place but it was rural back then. Cubby posted a map of this area in the first few pages of the first thread. LE was stretched thin and probably not up to date on the latest technology. I know for a fact that at that time they didn't even have radio dispatched cars. Debbie was murdered on a friday night and because of the weather they did not even go back and search the fields around this area for a whole week. So, obviously there was evidence that was destroyed or never found. And it was an election year, LS's father was a road commissioner and his position had some clout in the community. This was a small community. LS's fathers farm sold eggs that fed the prisoners in the jail.


In my opinion here are a few things that made LS a suspect:

LS was one of the last ones to see Debbie that day. She was comfortable around him and she had been to his home. He had only lived there for about four months before Debbie's murder. She had given his infant presents.

LS told LE he did not take a direct route home on that night but drove another route to check the roads. If you look at the map Cubby posted you will see he went out of his way to go home that night. His normal route would have passed Debbies home, his parents home, and where Debbie was found. Debbie was found very close to LS's parents farm.

LS went back to the school to burn picture of nude women on the night of the search for Debbie. LE later recovered charred remains of several pictures of nude women in the school incinerator.

LE recovered a pen knife from LS.

LS failed six polygraph tests.

LS stated he had a problem with Debbie.

LS did not turn in the clothes he wore that friday. There are mixed media reports on this. Some say the clothes he turned in were not the ones he wore that day and some state the ones that were turned in had stains on them.

There were charred and stained clothes found at his parents home.

Nude pictures found at his parents home.

Feathers and muddy boot prints found in his car. Debbie brought a mounted duck that day for show and tell.

His wife admitted to burning pornographic literature and photos at their home. LS said he had found them on the side of the road.



These were a few of the things that threw up red flags to me as far as LS being a suspect. I'm sure I could come up with more if I go back and read through my notes or old posts. I haven't been around for awhile but this case is very close to my heart and I hope that one day this case is solved and justice is served for Debbie's family. Like Cubby, I'm a die heart Cub fan and I have patience. I rather see this case solved than the Cubs win the worlds series and the sooner the better! Welcome to this thread milopedes! It nice to see some activity in this thread. I strongly recommed reading as much as you can when you get a chance.

 

[Cubby]

TY for the excellent summary Abbey5. Your memory is much better than mine. I'm glad I'm not alone with the passion on wanting this case solved. I ditto your comment on reading the threads as milopedes has time.

 

[milopedes]

Yes, great summary post! Thank you both.

I will take the time to read everything from the start too.

Again, thanks.

 

[Cubby]

Adding this link to wunderground for the historical weather for Feb 11 1966. There is no official station for West Chicago and the closest is Chicago so adding for those who may be interested.

Temperatures were above freezing during the day the entire week Debbie was murdered and a few degrees below freezing at night.

I know the County purchased the farm the Schofield family once owned to help with water run off and flooding problems in the area. I don't know enough about the immediate area to know how it floods or how the above freezing temperatures may have caused snow to melt and any flooding in the area.

http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KORD/1966/2/11/DailyHistory.html

 

[Cubby]

The following were originally posted by shadowangel in thread 1.
Post #218

Bringing forward for millopedes


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

 

[Cubby]

post #219 from thread one originally posted by shadowangel

Parts of the statement made by Schofield:

Q-Did you say you must have done it but that you cant recall because of different things in your past life?
A-Yes
(WTF????????)

Q-There is the possibility that you could have murdered the girl , isnt that right.
A-Yes.

Q-Can you absolutely deny that you murdered her?
A-No, I cannot absolutely deny it.

Q-Did your wife say anything to you about keeping your times straight when you were questioned by the police?
A-Yes, she did.

And here is the most disturbing bit of info to come out of all our research, as far as I'm concerned. Read this carefully.

Q-How did you feel toward Debbie?
A-I had mixed emotions. I had resentment toward her. I dont know why except maybe because she paid attention to my son.

Q-Can you explain that?
A-She was a very intelligent girl, a smart girl, but she could become annoying.

Q-From a personal or a school standpoint?
A-At school.
__________________

 

[Cubby]

Snipped from the above post:

And here is the most disturbing bit of info to come out of all our research, as far as I'm concerned. Read this carefully.

Q-How did you feel toward Debbie?
A-I had mixed emotions. I had resentment toward her. I dont know why except maybe because she paid attention to my son.

Q-Can you explain that?
A-She was a very intelligent girl, a smart girl, but she could become annoying.

Q-From a personal or a school standpoint?
A-At school.
__________________

Reading this a second time, now, my initial reaction was LS resented Debbie for paying attention to his son because LS was concerned about inappropriate (adult like inappropriate) attention to his son, because he himself had what he knew were inappropriate thoughts about children himself.

Still trying to find the post where shadowangel found an article that LS admitted to sometimes daydreaming about his students.

 

[TallCoolOne]

Yes, great summary post! Thank you both.

I will take the time to read everything from the start too.

Again, thanks.

Yes, going back and reading from beginning to end will be more beneficial than you might realize. There is some very good information in the early thread. I have actually done that twice now, just because after time goes by, my memory fogs and it helps to re-establish what is and isn't true as far as what has been gleaned.

There will be justice for Debbie, I truly believe that. She deserves nothing less. As a bonus I would like for the offender to still be alive to face both judges.........

 

[milopedes]

Good Lord, can someone please explain to me how this guy walked?

I had read little, and still thought Loren Schofield was the most likely suspect, but these added details go a long way toward convincing me.

I'm no cop, and claim no experience in interrogation, but why beat around the bush? Once he made incriminating, or at the very least unusual statements, why not directly ask him if he did it?

I don't see how they failed to get an indictment. Unless, of course, these factors played into it somewhat:

The witness saw a girl, not specifically mentioning Debbie, talking to a man in a white car.

It may not have been blood on the clothes turned in by LS's wife.

The pen knife turned into was ruled out as the weapon.

OK, maybe these could raise reasonable doubt in court. . . but at the very least, I would think it worthy of an attempt at convicting this .

 

[milopedes]

I wonder if LS, or anyone related to him, ever comes to this site?

 

[milopedes]

post #219 from thread one originally posted by shadowangel

Parts of the statement made by Schofield:

Q-Did you say you must have done it but that you cant recall because of different things in your past life?
A-Yes
(WTF????????)

Q-There is the possibility that you could have murdered the girl , isnt that right.
A-Yes.

Q-Can you absolutely deny that you murdered her?
A-No, I cannot absolutely deny it.

Q-Did your wife say anything to you about keeping your times straight when you were questioned by the police?
A-Yes, she did.

And here is the most disturbing bit of info to come out of all our research, as far as I'm concerned. Read this carefully.

Q-How did you feel toward Debbie?
A-I had mixed emotions. I had resentment toward her. I dont know why except maybe because she paid attention to my son.

Q-Can you explain that?
A-She was a very intelligent girl, a smart girl, but she could become annoying.

Q-From a personal or a school standpoint?
A-At school.
__________________

I'd think they'd ask him questions only the killer would know; you know, where were the wounds inflicted, position of the body, etc.

Even though I don't like the wording of the questions, I still think he sound guilty based upon his responses. How about some follow-up on the "different things in your past life" that would prevent him from remembering?

Of course, this may only be a small sample of the Q&A session they had with him. I'd hope there is more. And it is possible that there is more, and we are only getting the most incriminating statements from the interrogation. It could be that he made other conflicting statements, etc. Or that someone may deem the PD as "leading" in their wording. I dunno, I'm no lawyer.

 

[SunnieRN]

Oh believe me I did not believe it for one minute. I even question it and the cop just said "Sorry"!
No fingerprints, no mug shots.........oh please......the man did time!!! He died in prison!!! I smell a cover up!

Hmmm, very interesting that ALL evidence of a serial killer would be destroyed! Doesn't make any sense at all. By any chance, does Lisa(I hope I am remembering the correct name), have any remembrance of ROM being at AV's house, while they babysat during pool parties?

Also, who was his, AV's, girlfriend and was she the babies Mother? Did she see Debbie acting like the baby was hers, playing Mommy and got mad? Is it possible that Debbie saw AV and his girlfriend in an inappropriate situation and they were afraid she would tell? To me, his finding the body had to be an incredible coincidence if he/they were not involved. Very scary to think about! Where is AV now and did he marry his girlfriend? Too many ??? not enough answers about him INHO.

I was in 8th grade and living in Channahon when Debbie's picture was on the front page of every Chicago Newspaper. She looked just like my younger sister and our family was shocked by the circumstances of the case. A teacher was suspected and this was the event that forced me and my three sisters to grow up and see the world through different eyes. Our family discussed the details of the case for several weeks. My father always brought three or four newspapers home. That was the era of morning and afternoon editions and morning and evening papers. So the news could change from the morning to the evening papers. I have several memories about the case and they are very old but our family came to believe that it took two people to stab Debbie so many times. One to hold her and one to stab her. We also felt uneasy about the stab wounds in the face. That seemed very personal and very angry. We wanted to know a lot more about AV and his girlfriend. This is just a memory from 44 years ago but I recall that he was somehow connected to the Dupage County Law Enforcement community. Again, that is just a memory. I also have a memory that he was questioned and may have taken a polygraph. I also remember that Debbie used to call him her boyfriend. It was a time when you could kid around about stuff like that and everybody understood that it was a joke. Today we would react differently if a fifth grader called a college student her boyfriend, even in jest. Also we could never get over how AV was so lucky to find Debbie' body that night. It would make sense if his tire tracks were at the scene. In addition it was reported that Debbie may have lived for some time after she was abandoned in that frozen field. Her killer must have known that Debbie was still alive when he left her to freeze to death. AV was the first person to see the crime scene when he found her. It would make sense if his footprints were at the scene. If this crime took place today it would have been solved in a very short time with forensics. Multiple stab wounds with a very short object. Less that 3 inches? Something like a small pocket knife or a fingernail file? No molestation? No killing blow? Three white cars? Stab wounds in the face. I believe whoever killed Debbie must have known her. As you can see this has been bothering me for a long time. Every crime show I have ever watched makes me think of Debbie. When Cold Cases started to be solved I figured this one would be a slam dunk. I started checking the internet about 5 years ago and found this board when it started. Its time for someone to be asked the hard questions. I hope the Dupage Detectives are up to it. It is strange how a girl that I never knew has such a strong place in my heart. I am another voice who wants justice for Debbie. She could be any of us just waiting to go home.

Hear hear! Not saying it wasn't LS, ROM, but, I think there are 3 good suspects, not two!

Roger here are two links to individul posts from the 1st thread which might help with your timeline question.

Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - IL, DuPage County: Debbie Fijan age 10 abducted and murdered Feb 1966



Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - IL, DuPage County: Debbie Fijan age 10 abducted and murdered Feb 1966


Media links indicating what time the teachers husband arrived to pick her up were conflicting. It is probably closer to 5:15-5:30 when he saw her versus 5-5:15. IIRC the 15 minute confusion was based on media links quoting the husband and media links quoting the teacher. I don't believe the teacher was named.

hth

eta: will try and find the info regarding the time LS said he last saw Debbie and what time the janitor left - as he stated he was the last one to leave and lock up.

So, I have read reports that state Debbies Mom was at the school at 5:10 and at 5:30. I wonder which of those is correct? We were always walkers. On a rare occasion our Mom would pick us up, she wouldn't have left at 5:10 without talking to us, or a teacher, to see if the game was still going on. Would love to know the time she went to the school, as that would clear up the time line and also explain why she may have/may not have seen LS car on the road.

Since this unidentified child found by LS and his dad is technically a different OT topic not directly related to Debbies case, outside of the fact that the prime suspect found the child, I started a thread for this child in our Unidentified Forum to see if we can find any media articles letting us know the child was id's. We may or may not find that info, but anyone interested in sleuthing that part of this story, please do so at the thread I started for him here:

IL Infant boy April 1966, unicorported DuPage/Wayne Township - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

This is going to sound bizarre, but could LS or one of his brothers had a child that was abandoned this way, on the family property? His oldest brother had been married for several years by this time.