SC SC - Eva Gerline (or Jurlyn) DeBruhl, 15, Catawba, 29 June 1977

[reb]

<Certainly, Eva would have been more comfortable going to his car if she knew her mother was nearby.>

exactly..... or, if she knew the guy. he could have been someone who knew her, and knew where she lived.

 

[pardilia]

On the CourtTV boards, there is mention that a dental match between her and a Jane Doe was off by just one tooth and there are/were some questions about that.

It seemed they were in the process of investigating that but I didn't see that it went any further.

 

[Richard]

On the CourtTV boards, there is mention that a dental match between her and a Jane Doe was off by just one tooth and there are/were some questions about that.

It seemed they were in the process of investigating that but I didn't see that it went any further.

That is very interesting. I have seen 2 specific cases where positive identifications were made by the US Army based on only one tooth each found in co-mingled and scattered remains from a World War II plane crash. And a third man was positively identified by process of elimination - although none of his teeth were found to compare, he was known to be in the same plane with the other two.

And in contrast, I have seen where a State Medical Examiner refused to make a positive identification because of a descrepancy between a John Doe's teeth and a very old, out of date Army Dental Record. In the end, the ME would only concede that he "couldn't rule out" a match based on the dental record.

Often a "Dental Record" consists only of a standard chart which has been colored in by the dentist at some point. How often does that chart get re-done or corrected when a new filling is added, or an old one replaced?

I don't know if there is any kind of accepted criteria for declaring a match or non-match. It probably varies from state to state and examiner to examiner. A sort of science and subjective judgement combination.

 

[ASU2USC]

Here's the Jane Doe:
http://doenetwork.org/hot/hotcase610.html

It looks like the poster on the CourtTV board is Eva's nephew's wife. She was the one that stated that the ID was only off by one tooth - there is no mention of Eva's comparison to the NC UID on the doenetwork site.

 

[reb]

well, couldn't they rule her in/out based on what she was wearing that day, compared to the clothing found on the body? also it says her flip-flops were left in the yard, and this jane doe had sandals on. also red metallic nail polish- her parents would know if eva had on nail polish that day, or if she was likely to wear it.

although, of course it's possible he kept her hostage for a while and gave her different clothes to wear. but, i find it hard to believe she (or, he) would paint her nails. it just doesn't seem likeyl this is her.

 

[Richard]

well, couldn't they rule her in/out based on what she was wearing that day, compared to the clothing found on the body? also it says her flip-flops were left in the yard, and this jane doe had sandals on. also red metallic nail polish- her parents would know if eva had on nail polish that day, or if she was likely to wear it....

The Jane Doe was located in June 1978. Eva disappeared in June 1977. Aproximately 11 months had passed between Eva's disappearance and the Unknown girl's estimated death date. That being the case, one cannot rule out anything regarding clothing or nail polish.

BUT... as you indicate, a positive match between the two cases would almost have to include a scenario where the killer had kept Eva alive for close to a year somewhere, and supplied her with other clothing.

The NC state line is not far from Catawba, South Carolina. So it is possible. With the detail mentioned about the missing and repaired teeth of the Jane Doe, I find it very hard to believe that the dental match was only off by one tooth!

 

[2sisters]

I have been thinking and is it at all possible she had a secret boyfriend? I get the impression she was religious as was her family and sometimes girls from families like that will hide boyfriends and friends from strict parents. Perhaps she went willingly with someone who was a secret whom she thought she was in love with but he had more sinister motives?
I thought maybe she could have staged her dissappearance with someone but that seems too far fetched as I get the impression she may have been sheltered and not street wise enough to do that.

 

[pardilia]

well, couldn't they rule her in/out based on what she was wearing that day, compared to the clothing found on the body? also it says her flip-flops were left in the yard, and this jane doe had sandals on. also red metallic nail polish- her parents would know if eva had on nail polish that day, or if she was likely to wear it.

although, of course it's possible he kept her hostage for a while and gave her different clothes to wear. but, i find it hard to believe she (or, he) would paint her nails. it just doesn't seem likeyl this is her.

This is just from recall, but I think they just did the dental because of the time period and the relative was trying to track down if that particular jane doe had ever been ID'd and if they could do a comparison now that there's a bit more technology. I think there were a few other statments/characteristics of that particular UID that made it highly likely it was her and it seemed that they were extremely reluctant to make any sort of statement even implying that there was a possibility they were the same person.

Again, this is all from a vague recollection from the board, but I know when I looked, I could not find the UID on the doe network, but this was when those posts were new.

This is one of the cases that has always interested me...the ones where it seems people were just there living their life normally one minute and snatched out of it the next are rather curious since in most cases there is at least some theory as to what happened...whether it be a pedophile, custody dispute, etc. This is one of the disappearances where it truly seems she was there one moment, about to take a drink, and then gone the next.

 

[Richard]

Here is some info from the Charley Project:
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/d/debruhl_eva.html

...​

DeBruhl's grandmother lived near the family's home in 1977. She stated that on the morning DeBruhl went missing, she saw a late model blue and white or green and white Jeep-type vehicle drive up to the DeBruhl residence and stop by the front door. A man got out and stood on the front porch; he appeared to be talking to someone through the screen door. The vehicle left, but returned ten or fifteen minutes later. DeBruhl's grandmother did not hear any suspicious noises and did not see her granddaughter get inside the car. The man driving it has never been identified and it is unclear whether he has any connection to DeBruhl's case. He is described as Caucasian. of medium height and build, wearing a light-colored shirt and pants. ...​

​

It is possible the the vehicle was actually a Jeep - perhaps a CJ-5, CJ-6, or a CJ-7 model. There were not a lot of other four wheel drive vehicles that looked a lot like a Jeep back in 1977. The popular color for a Jeep back then was White with different color markings and model names painted on the sides.
​

 

[Richard]

Here is a link to another websleuths topic about Eva. Titled:
Eva DeBruhl - South Carolina

LINK:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50863

 

[Richard]

There are a number of similarities between this case and that of the missing Lyon sisters of Wheaton, Maryland, who disappeared on Tuesday, 25 March 1975.

The girls bore a resemblence: young, blonde, blue eyes, short and small...

The abductor took them on a weekday near noon in broad daylight.

Witnesses described the girls speaking to a strange man shortly before their disappearance.

A vehicle was very likely used in both instances.

It was warm, pleasant weather.

The scenes were rather pleasant neighborhoods, considered safe by most folks.

Theories for both cases tend to center on a single individual who has the ability to lure rather shy or apprehensive young girls to a vehicle.

No trace of the girls has ever been found.

 

[Richard]

Bumping this thread up. There is another thread on Eva as well.

 

[eeyorelrn]

Should we ask the Mods to merge the 2 threads?

 

[Richard]

Should we ask the Mods to merge the 2 threads?

We could, but it probably is not necessary. Each thread has a link to the other, and if you run a search using her name, both would come up.

There are also a number of other duplications where folks post a new thread and one already exists. I have on occasion done that myself inadvertantly.

My advice to anyone who wants to post information on a case is to first run a search of the forum to see if a thread already exists. If so, you will get a listing of all such threads, and you can post your information there. Posting on a thread (even one which has been dormant for a few months or years) will bring it to the top of the order for all to see that there is new information posted.

 

[MaryLiz]

The 2 threads have been merged.

 

[eeyorelrn]

I wish there was a way to look at the files on this case, to see what LE had ruled out, what theories they had pursued, the interview noted from Eva's family and friends... then again, that may just be the nosy lil girl in me coming out. =D

 

[pudd]

I wish there was a way to look at the files on this case, to see what LE had ruled out, what theories they had pursued, the interview noted from Eva's family and friends... then again, that may just be the nosy lil girl in me coming out. =D

Oh, eeyorelrn, isn't that "nosy lil girl" in all of us the reason we're here on WS in the first place? Heh. It's that "nosy lil girl/neighbour" in us that bothers to check on cold cases and maybe make a difference. Yay for nosy lil girls! (and boys)

 

[pathfinderint]

Hello,
I've seen information that Eva disappeared some time between 11:am and 3 pm. Well, according to her parents, the father left for work at 11 and the mother woke up at noon. So that means that Eva disappeared/was kidnapped between 11 and Noon...right?
Also it would be interesting to know how the flipflops were found on the lawn? Did it looked they were neatly (went away with someone she knew) left there or in a hurry (was taken)? All to reveal some sort of state of mind at the time Eva vanished.

 

[Richard]

Hello,
I've seen information that Eva disappeared some time between 11:am and 3 pm. Well, according to her parents, the father left for work at 11 and the mother woke up at noon. So that means that Eva disappeared/was kidnapped between 11 and Noon...right?
Also it would be interesting to know how the flipflops were found on the lawn? Did it looked they were neatly (went away with someone she knew) left there or in a hurry (was taken)? All to reveal some sort of state of mind at the time Eva vanished.

I have also seen the differing time frames that you mention. I have a feeling that the 11 to 3 time frame is what is the official line, but do not know why. Perhaps investigators decided that the mother might have gotten up at noon, but had not conduted a thorough search at that time. Also, there is information about Eva running bath water, making tea, etc so perhaps that all would have been considered as well in coming up with a time line.

I do not know how the flip flops were positioned. That might indicate something if they were found near where a car would have parked, but maybe not if they were near the porch or near the lawn mower.

 

[Richard]

By Andrew Dys
06/16/06

Opal Phillips never saw her daughter again. Maybe, 29 years later, somebody knows what happened to Eva DeBruhl.

Her family clings to a cliff of hope. Eva was 15 when she disappeared from her home southeast of Rock Hill on June 29, 1977.

Her grandmother saw a white man on the porch, police say, but nobody saw anything else.

York County deputies have investigated the case time and again through the years.

First was a massive police and community search. Leads through the years, like links to a serial killer, ended unfounded.

Bones found turned out to belong to somebody else. Two skulls found as recently as last summer were male. More dead ends.

The search consumed the family for years. Every corpse police found, the DeBruhls hoped. Every arrest, they prayed. Nothing.

Detectives have reopened the case several times. Sheriff’s Lt. Tim Hager said all crimes against persons officers are required to review the case file each year, hoping fresh eyes see something new.

Recently, the State Law Enforcement Division created a computer enhanced image of what Eva might look like now, at age 44, if she were alive. Willard DeBruhl, Eva’s father, died in 1997, long after he quit his auto mechanic job and sold his house to spend his money and life in a fruitless search.

“My daddy died of a broken heart,” said Tami Settlemyer, one of Eva’s two sisters. The family blames no one for 29 years of shattered hope.

Not law enforcement. They just have no idea what happened that summer day.

If someone kidnapped Eva, even killed her, Eva’s two sisters and mother say each has forgiven that person.

“But we are no closer to knowing what happened now than we were then,” said Elaine Tyre, Eva’s other sister. On Saturday in Rock Hill, one organization that specializes in trying to find missing people will come to York County to shine another light on the case.

Tyre’s daughter-in-law recently contacted the Community United Effort Center for Missing Persons after doing Internet searches about Eva. Monica Caison, who has run the Wilmington, N.C.-based center for 13 years, is in the midst of a multistate tour covering 74 missing people. The group tries to help law enforcement get the word out about cold cases.

Caison researched the case and agreed to help. Eva’s case is the second-oldest the organization is working on, she said. “It gives us hope,” said Opal Phillips, Eva’s mother.

Hope isn’t hope that Eva is alive. Her mother does not believe her daughter is alive. Her sisters don’t, either. But they can hope to finally find out what happened.

Eva’s mother and sisters are devout Christians. Each has forgiven whoever took Eva if she was kidnapped and killed. But they want to know why ,why a 15-year-old girl disappears near Rock Hill without a trace.

Lt. Hager is a parent. Like Opal Phillips. “I can’t imagine what its been like for 29 years,” he said. “I can’t claim to understand how they feel. But what we can do is keep trying.”

Along with the age-enhanced photo, the two sisters and Phillips recently gave the sheriff’s office DNA samples so if any evidence is found — a bone fragment, anything — detectives can use the newest technology to try and match DeBruhl’s DNA, Capt. Jerry Hoffman said.

Eva’s enhanced picture also is on file also with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Hoffman said. Saturday, the family will be there at a rally. Hoffman will be there, too.

A family hopes that somehow 29 years of suffering can disappear with a thread of information. A tip. A lead. “Anything,” Phillips said. “We just want it to be over.”