MA MA - Deborah Quimby, 13, Townsend, 3 May 1977

[hmg]

Thanks for the shoutout Believe . I'm getting ready to write about Deborah on the New England Unsolved blog and this thread has provided a number of useful links so thanks everyone.

Interesting on the CT cases and obviously there's nothing to completely rule it out but there's so many of these cases about kids being grabbed off of bicycles that I don't think that in itself is a connecting factor. In Massachusetts alone there's James Lusher from Westfield, Catherine Malcolmson of Stowe, Sarah Pryor from Wayland, etc. in addition to Deborah. Convicted child killer Lewis Lent Jr. of Pittsfield was known to target children riding on bikes. I think that a child is very vulnerable on a bike, just look up the term "bike" on the Doe Network and you will find literally dozens of cases of both adults and children disappearing while riding a bike and then the bike being found a day or two later but no sign of the missing person. I don't know about anyone else here but growing up, my mom was always telling me to be extra careful about strangers while I was out riding my bike.

Most likely completely unrelated to this case, but many months ago I wrote about the case of Judith Vieweg, a 31 year old who was found murdered in the woods behind her house in Townsend in 1973. Vieweg's car was recovered from a landfill area on the same street Quimby disappeared from (Turnpike Road). It's my understanding the same officer is working both cases so presumably any connections between the two have been explored. I don't mean to imply that there are connections simply that Townsend despite being small and rural does have more than one presumed murder during that time period.

Furthermore Townsend is very isolated away from highways and cities. It is not accessible at all from any major highway leading me to believe that the person who committed both these crimes is from Townsend or a neighboring town. I know someone else brought up Ted Bundy traveling 300 miles but Bundy probably stayed within a few miles of the highway when he did travel that far if he was unfamiliar with the area. The CT cases are, although occurring in rural locations, connected by I-84.

 

[hmg]

One question: Debbie was supposed to meet a friend at her grandparents house according to the unsent letter found in her locker. Was it the same friend or a different friend who accompanied her to a certain point on Turnpike Road? I may have missed this detail somewhere along the way and was wondering if someone else had seen this in any of the articles? Does anyone know if the friend was male or female?

 

[nate3378]

I'd also like to know who accompanied her on her bike ride to Turnpike Rd. Turnpike Rd is a very isolated road...................I know because I biked it as well when I was a kid. I also grew up in the same house on Smith St. I was unaware of her case until I was about 11 or 12. My parents knew, half the town knew, but.................it was years later and people wanted to keep it quiet especially given my circumstances. My mom later confided in me that she was partly expecting Debbie to show up someday but of course that never happened. There are many loose ends and dead end roads that have resulted from so many leads/ information. Isn't there anything else we can do to help? All I can say is, I feel somewhat compelled to know what happen to her. I did after all, sleep in the same bedroom for years that she had when she lived there on Smith St., and her good friend was also my babysitter.

 

[believe09]

I'd also like to know who accompanied her on her bike ride to Turnpike Rd. Turnpike Rd is a very isolated road...................I know because I biked it as well when I was a kid. I also grew up in the same house on Smith St. I was unaware of her case until I was about 11 or 12. My parents knew, half the town knew, but.................it was years later and people wanted to keep it quiet especially given my circumstances. My mom later confided in me that she was partly expecting Debbie to show up someday but of course that never happened. There are many loose ends and dead end roads that have resulted from so many leads/ information. Isn't there anything else we can do to help? All I can say is, I feel somewhat compelled to know what happen to her. I did after all, sleep in the same bedroom for years that she had when she lived there on Smith St., and her good friend was also my babysitter.

Thanks for energizing this thread, which is very dear to me. What did people think had happened...like what was the "talk on the street?"

 

[DD Byrd]

Is Walker Pond the same as Vinton Pond? Just looking at an aerial shot of the area, there are a few bodies of water and the Townsend swamp is right off of Turnpike...

 

[nate3378]

Thanks for energizing this thread, which is very dear to me. What did people think had happened...like what was the "talk on the street?"

Thanks Believe,

I think over the years many people, including local families, friends, and authorities have their own idea of what happened. People generally want answers and sometimes they find them to suit or fit their idea of what happened.

Without hard facts, I would not want to contibute to "the talk on the street". I would only be empowering more speculation which I believe can be a deterent from producing concrete information. This case is too significant to be treated as such.

Just a few questions.......

Has anyone received any information at the Townsend Police Station?? If so, who is currently in charge of the case??

Has the FBI began actively working on the case?? Is the case in some kind of police limbo between the Local Police and the FBI??

The police mentioned that the 2 anonymous letters received were "somewhat specific". What does this actually mean?? It obviously produced enough weight to drain Walker Pond twice......................but why??

Were other ponds scanned or were all efforts concentrated only on one???

It appears efforts to chase leads have not produced many results. Are local authorities following dead ends?? Can a fresh start on the case be considered, using new methods/ guidelines used specifically for missing persons??

I feel that as more years pass, there will be more silence on this case. Somebody out there has some information, somehow, somewhere..........this I am confident about. People don't exactly just make themselves dissapear. A witness of some kind lives with this everyday.........................................................eventually they will talk so they can be a solution to this case. Deborah and her family deserve it.

I appreciate your reply!

- Smith St. Kid

 

[mit]

Believe09
I know you where young when Debby disappeared, but maybe you or one of the other members might be able to fill in the blanks. I am not from the area but I would truly love to find Debby and the person responsible for her death. I know there was a dairy farm not far from where Debby disappeared. Can you give me the exact location?The father who owned the farm was hit my a car and killed. I don't remember his name. Is the farm and the young men, his sons, who ran the farm still in the area? I would appreciate you checking into that for me plus a need the name of the farm. Another question: Is there some type of dam or wall between a waterway near the pond? I do not understand why someone is sending letters pointing to the pond. If someone dumped her in the pond they would have had to tie her down with something and that something would have been found when they checked the lake. It would make more sense to bury her where no one would think of looking for her. So what areas where not searched at that time and who was never questioned? A serial killer from another area, No. A local, Yes. Thanks for you time and I hope all of us together can bring her home and put him away.

 

[mit]

Believe09
I have read the other posts. I think the dairy farmers name was Rossbach. The junk yard was covered by water when? Why didn't they continue to search that area? Was there some type of wall of some kind between the water and the junk yard when Debby went missing? Is the farm a working farm today and who owns it today? thanks for your time.

 

[believe09]

Believe09
I know you where young when Debby disappeared, but maybe you or one of the other members might be able to fill in the blanks. I am not from the area but I would truly love to find Debby and the person responsible for her death. I know there was a dairy farm not far from where Debby disappeared. Can you give me the exact location?The father who owned the farm was hit my a car and killed. I don't remember his name. Is the farm and the young men, his sons, who ran the farm still in the area? I would appreciate you checking into that for me plus a need the name of the farm. Another question: Is there some type of dam or wall between a waterway near the pond? I do not understand why someone is sending letters pointing to the pond. If someone dumped her in the pond they would have had to tie her down with something and that something would have been found when they checked the lake. It would make more sense to bury her where no one would think of looking for her. So what areas where not searched at that time and who was never questioned? A serial killer from another area, No. A local, Yes. Thanks for you time and I hope all of us together can bring her home and put him away.

Believe09
I have read the other posts. I think the dairy farmers name was Rossbach. The junk yard was covered by water when? Why didn't they continue to search that area? Was there some type of wall of some kind between the water and the junk yard when Debby went missing? Is the farm a working farm today and who owns it today? thanks for your time.

I was a young-un when she disappeared, so I have little recollection other than "family legend" regarding what happened. I like what you have resurrected here in terms of possible locations-I think that it is very likely that she is in water, but that is just a personal opinion. I will see what I can find in terms of info on the farm/junk yard you mentioned.

Deb has been officially entered into NAMUS and her case is being managed by the NMEC. Here is the link:
https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/1469/0

 

[hmg]

Believe was her entry into NAMUS recent? I saw a huge spike in people looking for information about Debbie a few weeks ago on New England Unsolved and I prayed that somehow she had been found and I just missed the news story but alas there was no new information.

If she was entered into NAMUS and that caused people to search for information about her that's a very good thing though.

 

[believe09]

Believe was her entry into NAMUS recent? I saw a huge spike in people looking for information about Debbie a few weeks ago on New England Unsolved and I prayed that somehow she had been found and I just missed the news story but alas there was no new information.

If she was entered into NAMUS and that caused people to search for information about her that's a very good thing though.

Actually that is great news, HMG!!! Yes, it was relatively recent. I received word from a coordinator at NAMUS that her case was assigned a case manager at both NAMUS and NCMEC. They are doing a complete review of her files and hopefully adding DNA and dental to the databases...fingers crossed.

 

[hmg]

I'm really glad to hear that. People are obviously taking an interest in her case.

It goes to show you how important getting the word out there about some of these old missing person and UID cases is. If people know about them, they do take an interest.

 

[Ms Suzanne]

This is very sad.I'll keep her in my prayers to find her.

 

[dreamin217]

I just saw this on the Townsend news website. I think this is wicked good news

Private investigators take up Townsend missing-girl case
http://www.nashobapublishing.com/townsend_news/ci_14042037

By Jack Minch

MediaNews

TOWNSEND -- Robert Reinhart said he and his colleagues have no more than four months left to solve the case of 13-year-old Deborah Ann Quimby, who disappeared May 3, 1977.

After the self-imposed deadline, they will announce their theories regarding her disappearance, said Reinhart, an investigator with the Missing Persons Special Investigations Unit.

The Washington, D.C.-based company, formed earlier this year, takes on unsolved, "cold" cases for a $10,000 fee. It has yet to solve a case.

Reinhart said his company took on the Quimby case on its own in mid-October. It has not been hired.

Police Chief Erving Marshall Jr. said he learned about Missing Persons after residents called the Police Department reporting letters soliciting donations to help pay for the private investigation.

After doing some of his own research on the company and talking with Reinhart about his probe, Marshall has embraced the company's help.

"A lot of the things he was telling me come in line with our past investigation and people we had spoken to," Marshall said yesterday. "He seems very sincere, and certainly from what he told me, they have been working on this investigation the last couple of months extensively."

Families typically pay for the investigative work, Reinhart said, but there are ancillary costs, so the company reaches out to the community for contributions.

Anne Quimby, Deborah's mother, declined comment when reached at her Townsend home last night.

On May 3, 1977, Deborah Quimby left a note for her parents saying she was bicycling to her grandparents' home on Vinton Pond, but never arrived.

Two boys were the last to see her.

"She said to them she was running away, but she wrote a note to her mom (that) she would be back," Reinhart said. "Being 13 years old, we think she was meeting up with someone. It sounds like she met up with the wrong person."

Police have chased leads over the years and, most recently, partially drained and dredged Walker Pond over 38 days in the summer of 2004 after getting two letters urging the water be searched.

Police did not find any new evidence from that search.

Reinhart, who worked as a business development consultant before joining the Missing Persons Special Investigations Unit, said his specialty is determining human behavior.

He said he is encouraged by the investigation, but does not have enough information to publicly name a suspect.

Missing Persons investigators are more open with their work than police usually can be because they try to generate new leads through public interest, Reinhart said.

They have access to manpower and technological resources, such as forensics equipment and ground-penetrating radar, that police may not have easy access to, he said.

The company is also working on the case of Maura Murray, a UMass Amherst student who disappeared after a single-car accident in Haverhill, N.H., on Feb. 9, 2004.

Investigations normally include two field operatives and about 18 administrative support and research personnel, Reinhart said.

Missing Persons sets three- to six-month time limits on its investigations.

"Right now this Quimby case is in its initial stages," Reinhart said. "All the interviews are done and we're working on physical evidence."

Reinhart has not ruled out a connection between Quimby's disappearance and the death of another Townsend resident, Judith Vieweg, a 31-year-old teacher found stabbed behind her Main Street home in September 1973.

He believes the Quimby case was an impulsive crime and that Vieweg's attack was planned, though the fact that her body was dragged and hastily covered shows the killing "was an impulsive move as well."

During searches that require specialized equipment, Missing Persons hires contractors such as scuba divers, forensic analysts and air rescue, he said.

Investigators cross-referenced Townsend resident listings from 1977 with the current list to learn who is still in town from the time of Quimby's disappearance, and asked them for financial support, he said.

"If they want to contribute, it would be appreciated to defray the cost of research and investigation," Reinhart said.

 

[believe09]

Hmmm...wolf in sheeps clothing as far as I am concerned:
http://www.lowellsun.com/todaysheadlines/ci_14055482

"TOWNSEND -- The man who sought donations to pay for the investigation of a 32-year-old missing-persons case says he has bowed out because his background stirred a cloud of controversy.

Missing Persons' Web site, www.mpsiu.com, boasts that it has "cold case specialists" -- essentially subcontractors -- but Reinhart admits his background is in "sales and business development." He is not a licensed private investigator. His specialty is determining human behavior."

I am going to take a moment to VENT here-you all have NO IDEA what this family has been through in the last 32 years concerning this case...the whisperings, the phone calls, the psychic nuts, the outlay of money from people who are trying to exploit a families pain....I am going to go out on a limb and say that Reinhart is a two bit bottom feeder who scooped the case off of the recent NAMUS listing...And you wonder why Debs mom will not comment on this case any further in the public.

CRAWL back under your rock....

Mods delete if you must I am giving myself a time out.
:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:

 

[believe09]

I will follow up and say that I spoke with the ever kind Chief Marshall who wants it clear that there is NO association between Deb's case and Missing Persons Special Investigations Unit. I will further say that I call MPSIU myself and told them to take down Deb's case IMMEDIATELY.

Back to the time out....

 

[Debbie Miller]

http://www.nashobapublishing.com/townsend_news/ci_14069502

story at link.

 

[believe09]

More on Reinhart fwiw-and I want to THANK any and all bloggers from the BOTTOM of my heart who passed along by phone or email the necessary information to Chief Marshall that caused the reversal of the town's opinion of Reinhart....
http://www.ripoffreport.com/multi-l...utions/prodata-solutions-robert-lor-p78pd.htm

 

[believe09]

I want to point something out for any and all who have a loved one who is missing-legitimate organizations do NOT go directly to the family OR the community PRIOR to contacting LE. Period. RED FLAG. Especially if they are offering their services for several thousands of dollars. AGAIN, RED FLAG. You have to surface from your grief and pain long enough to realize that this is inevitably a scam. If someone comes to you and asks for money to give you the answers, it is not a legitimate offer to begin with. EVER.

I will spare you all my accompanying view regarding psychics who charge for their "gifts" or "visions."...lol.

 

[Curious2]

bumps this thread up...it has been a while since I posted here.
For a 2 years I drove through Townsend on rt 119 from/to Ashburnham every day...and I always thought of this case....I drove down the road where she was last seen. Still a very rural, back woods rd.