TX TX - Deanna Merryfield, 13, Killeen, 22 July 1990 - #1

[Kat]

The only thing wrong with that theory is that if she had met and married a soldier, wouldn't she have needed to use her SS#? For paperwork and benefits and that sort of thing, even if she were never employed per se? I thought she had never used her SS#.

She didn't have to marry him Aphra, she could have just followed him anywhere. He could have gotten out at that time (been kicked out), he could have gone AWOL...a great many possibilities.

This instillation is the largest inside the USA. It was even the largest back when Deanna went missing.

I see it all the time, and it's kind of odd to me but females will follow their soldiers to towns close to posts without marrying them.

I was just curious if LE had looked into a Soldier connection. In any form.

 

[Fairy1]

She didn't have to marry him Aphra, she could have just followed him anywhere. He could have gotten out at that time (been kicked out), he could have gone AWOL...a great many possibilities.

This instillation is the largest inside the USA. It was even the largest back when Deanna went missing.

I see it all the time, and it's kind of odd to me but females will follow their soldiers to towns close to posts without marrying them.

I was just curious if LE had looked into a Soldier connection. In any form.

This is a great theory, Kat. And it could have taken her practically anywhere in world! What are the odds a 13-year-old had her SS card or birth certificate with her when she left? Under what circumstances can you apply for another SS card? She would have to have contacted the hospital in which she was born to get a certified copy of her birth certificate, right? Missie - do you know where Deanna was born? Maybe you can check with them to see if she ever requested another copy? Not sure how much info they can give you, but if they mailed it, they would have an address on file......Maybe Sgt. D could help out here?

 

[MissieMt]

The soldier theory is possible but it would have been very out of character for her. She was more into the "punk-bad boy" type.
We do know for sure that she has not ever applied for another birth certificate or SS card.

 

[Kat]

Thank you for answering Missie, you answered my question. I had thought of that years ago when I first read about Deanna. I got here in June of 2000 and it was shortly after that when I read about her for the first time.

It has always been a thought in my mind is all. And hopefully I won't offend you but I also thought that she may not have run off with a Soldier willingly but a soldier may have been involved in her disappearance. It does happen.

 

[Julessleuther]

Perhaps Deanna did not know she had a social and just applied for a new one? I have a natural sister who was issued a social when we were in foster care, but she never knew it. Later, after she was adopted, she was somehow given a new social, and it was only when she went to social security for some type of disability payments as an adult that she found out she had two socials. (At least that is what she says...)

The only thing wrong with that theory is that if she had met and married a soldier, wouldn't she have needed to use her SS#? For paperwork and benefits and that sort of thing, even if she were never employed per se? I thought she had never used her SS#.

 

[Julessleuther]

Kat, it is a good theory, and one we can try and explore, just in case...

Missie: I know we can do a blog here--you should start a blog for Deanna, and then we can post fresh everything you/we know about her case. I'll help you with it, if you get it started.

I have an full ancestry.com account for the next two monthes (my kid is working on a geneology project), so if we need to research anything, let me know!

Ok-I just thought of something? Has Deanna's twin ever checked to see if anyone else requested HER birth certificate? Maybe Deanna used Bekki's?
"

Thank you for answering Missie, you answered my question. I had thought of that years ago when I first read about Deanna. I got here in June of 2000 and it was shortly after that when I read about her for the first time.

It has always been a thought in my mind is all. And hopefully I won't offend you but I also thought that she may not have run off with a Soldier willingly but a soldier may have been involved in her disappearance. It does happen.

 

[Kat]

TY for the encouragement Jules. I'm just posing it as an avenue of exploration.

I will try to give a bit of a feel for this area since I have lived here for 9 years. Unfortunately I am leaving next month. We will be moving elsewhere in TX (to another Army post).

In 1990 when Deanna disappeared the cold war was over. The reason I bring that up is because it would have been around that time the Army would have discontinues use of gate guards at any/all gates. No one would be checking for who was entering or exiting.

In fact, in 2000 when I first arrived at Fort Hood there were multiple billboards announcing that Killeen and Fort Hood were Cities with no boundries (something to that effect).

At every gate that was accessable to the general public there weren't even guard shacks. (give you an idea how freely people moved from civilian to military communties, of course that all changed immediately the day of 9/11).

Looking at a map, if anyone has never been here, it's difficult to imagine exactly how close Killeen (Copperas Cove, Lampasas, Harker Heights, Nolanville, Temple) and Fort Hood are to one another. You can look at a map but it's not the same.

Fort Hood has 340 square miles . Most of which is accessable in one way or another. I don't know of any land except buffer areas between the range and civilian communites or ranches that can't be accessed in one form or another.

So to make a long story short. When I first suggested a love between Deanna and a soldier, I was being very careful in not to upset Missie, but it is also my suggestion (made in a very kind manner) that a Soldier or a family member of a Soldier that was stationed here during that time might have direct knowledge about Deanna's disappearance.

Since it was 1990, and the Fort Hood population is what could be considered as almost transient. In that we usually move about every few years (we are astounded we have been here this long but it has to do with the current war actually). I just wanted to make that suggestion because there have been few leads in Killeen that I know of, and I have never seen information about Deanna distributed within Fort Hood.

It may be nothing, but I felt I had to at the very least suggest it. Sorry for the very long post and TIA to any who read it.

 

[Kat]

I also know exactly where Deanna went to middle school. I drive past Manor several times a week.

 

[MissieMt]

I can't say what the security (or lack thereof) on ft hood was like in the early 90's but I know for a fact that you could easily get on and off in the late 90's. It is a good theory Kat. I just wonder how on earth would even begin to explore it? I'm gonna forward the suggestion to Sgt. D just in case.
Jules, I never even thought about her trying to use Bekki's info for a b.c. or ss card. Now I feel like a dummy 'cause that seems quite logical,lol.

I just stepped away from here for a min. and texted Bekki to call me, and emailed Sgt.D. I should have an answer to this question soon, hopefully!

 

[MissieMt]

Okay, Bekki is going to try to get a full on search into her ss number for any activity etc.

She said Sgt.D is out of town this week so he may not be able to get back to me right away.

 

[Salem]

~Respectfully snipped~

Thank you all for the encouraging words!!

I have no gut instinct as far as all of it goes. I would absolutely LOVE to believe that she is alive but I just can't fathom a 13 yr old walking away and never contacting family again-maybe because I don't want to believe that she wants nothing to do with us.

Missie - remember the story of the poster, way back when you first started the Deanna thread? IIRC, she said her sister had been missing many years and did not contact her family because of the life she had been living. I don't remember all the details, just that her sister finally did contact the poster and her family.

Deanna could not be contacting you for so many reasons. It is hard to understand what goes on in the head and heart of another. I don't want to get mushy here, but I do want to point out that Deanna is just beginning to come to an age where she will begin to understand just how much some things really don't matter and that her family probably really does love and miss her. I have my fingers crossed that soon she will start searching for you guys herself.

I'm not sure I'm making a lot of sense but sometimes I think youth holds us back. Wisdom really does come with age (at least in my case ).

Salem

 

[MissieMt]

You made perfect sense to me Salem. I know you are right, it's just not something my heart wants to accept.

 

[Kat]

To explore it~ given that nothing can be distributed here (posters etc.) or information printed in our newspapers (Fort Hood is so large it has two newspapers that serve only us on post) without express permission from the Commanding General of this instillation it would be best to request the detective in charge of Deanna's case ask that Deanna's information be distributed.

Why? Well because Fort Hood is a hub. It's a FORSCOM instillation and anyone that has been in the military any length of time has been here usually, if they were here when Deanna disappeared they may also be back here. You also have an enormous amount of retiree's who come back here and buy a house because it is so easy to retire in a place where you can easily access your retirement benefits.

So it's a long shot but you just never know if someone might have seen something and remember it and dont' know that they know because there is no media exposure now that they have come back to this area.

 

[MissieMt]

Bekki had a report done on her ss number today. She works at a place that does this often (loan processing) but had to get permission from the big boss to do it for personal use

This report listed every address she has ever lived at, and they are all ones we are aware of. SO if Deanna ever did use her SS number it's not showing up.
Hopefully Sgt.D will still look into it, but I'm not sure he will find anything noteworthy.

 

[Julessleuther]

OK--that is great that we know this now, one less avenue to explore. SO, let's rack our brain here...

IF Deanna was alive in 1995 AND had some kind of contact with police, she would have had to show ID, right? So, how was she able to show ID with HER name on it, without using her social security number?

Bekki had a report done on her ss number today. She works at a place that does this often (loan processing) but had to get permission from the big boss to do it for personal use

This report listed every address she has ever lived at, and they are all ones we are aware of. SO if Deanna ever did use her SS number it's not showing up.
Hopefully Sgt.D will still look into it, but I'm not sure he will find anything noteworthy.

 

[Fairy1]

OK--that is great that we know this now, one less avenue to explore. SO, let's rack our brain here...

IF Deanna was alive in 1995 AND had some kind of contact with police, she would have had to show ID, right? So, how was she able to show ID with HER name on it, without using her social security number?

This is a great question! I wish the good Sgt. would give up a little more info on this "sighting."

 

[elepher50]

Have you or your sister/family setup an account on BEBO for Deanna? I am getting a hit on BEBO for Deanna Merryfield. And does a name of Berger mean anything - I apologize if this has already been brought up.

CAUTION: This may not be associated with Deanna, but I thought I would put this out here as I am not seeing many hits on Deanna except for the sites where Deanna is listed as missing so the BEBO hit stands out to me.

The profile is set to private but this is the information that I am seeing:

 

[MissieMt]

Berger is not a familiar name to me, but that doesn't mean much.
Is there anyway you can try to "friend" that person bebo? I don't have an acct. there.

As far as the incident in 1995 and i.d. Grrr, I have no earthly idea how to get more info. It's frustrating because I feel like we are working with nothing here!

 

[elepher50]

Berger is not a familiar name to me, but that doesn't mean much.
Is there anyway you can try to "friend" that person bebo? I don't have an acct. there.

As far as the incident in 1995 and i.d. Grrr, I have no earthly idea how to get more info. It's frustrating because I feel like we are working with nothing here!

Hi MissieMt, I will certainly try to befriend the person on BEBO that is using Deanna Merryfield's name.

Now, the other thing I found was on MySpace for Deanna B (I know we all detest it but that age group uses it). There is a hit on MySpace as well and I did a snapshot of the pix of the woman - wish we had the age progression so a compare could be done. The only pix I have seen are the old ones. The hit is for the Dallas area. You know what I am going to push the pix out here - no offense but Deanna's ears stuck out in my mind from the older pix but in the pix from MySpace, the ears are covered with long blond hair.

I will push out the pix and if you say Nada..No.. I will edit and take out the pix. There is not enough showing to determine if any tats.

ETA: The MySpace hit was Houston not Dallas as I noted in the main body.

 

[Salem]

Hi MissieMt, I will certainly try to befriend the person on BEBO that is using Deanna Merryfield's name.

Now, the other thing I found was on MySpace for Deanna B (I know we all detest it but that age group uses it). There is a hit on MySpace as well and I did a snapshot of the pix of the woman - wish we had the age progression so a compare could be done. The only pix I have seen are the old ones. The hit is for the Dallas area. You know what I am going to push the pix out here - no offense but Deanna's ears stuck out in my mind from the older pix but in the pix from MySpace, the ears are covered with long blond hair.

I will push out the pix and if you say Nada..No.. I will edit and take out the pix. There is not enough showing to determine if any tats.

ETA: The MySpace hit was Houston not Dallas as I noted in the main body.

Here's a link to Deanna's picture for comparison purposes: http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s65/missiemt/?action=view&current=Deannafaceshot.jpg

I just can't tell. It is possible, but you can't see the ears in the myspace pic and because the head is turned differently from Deanna's, I'm having trouble comparing other features.

Missy - I can't wait to see what you think. Does she look like you or your sisters?

Salem