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

[elepher50]

I just googled a KY map....Cave City does not look like it would be all that far in distance from Ft Campbell, KY. There is the military connection again....of course I may be reaching on this but it just seems odd with all of the possible connections being close to military posts.

M ~

Hi, I don't think it is reaching at all and that there could be a military connection using a different name. I have tried to find a "footprint" on the internet for Deanna M. and have come up empty - a couple of leads but that is about it.

Known dates and Places:
1990: Killeen, Texas (Ft.Hood)
1992: Cave City, Kentucky (Ft. Campbell)
1995: Possibly in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area (Ft. Worth)

Was Ft. Worth an active military base in 1995 - I hate to sound silly but am not familiar with the area.

If there was any incidents of domestic violence on military bases residences would the MPP be called in or would it be handled by local LE?

 

[elepher50]

From the Texas marriages archive search: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/vs/marriagedivorce/mindex.shtm

and using finds on Deanna M from the years 1990 to 1995 and under the age of 20, here is the compiled list. Have not had time to do any checking into any of the names but thought it best to put this out here in case any of the names ring a bell with anybody who has looked into Deanna's case.

 

[MissieMt]

Hi, I don't think it is reaching at all and that there could be a military connection using a different name. I have tried to find a "footprint" on the internet for Deanna M. and have come up empty - a couple of leads but that is about it.

Known dates and Places:
1990: Killeen, Texas (Ft.Hood)
1992: Cave City, Kentucky (Ft. Campbell)
1995: Possibly in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area (Ft. Worth)

Was Ft. Worth an active military base in 1995 - I hate to sound silly but am not familiar with the area.

If there was any incidents of domestic violence on military bases residences would the MPP be called in or would it be handled by local LE?

If they were living in base housing it would be handled by MP's.

I'm still having a hard time really believing she was ever in KY. My reasons being that
anyone could have called and claimed to be Deanna-we haven't been able to prove that it was her.
The only family in KY was our Grandma's siblings (IIRC) and that would mean our Grandma would have been involved. Sgt.D as far as I know, does not believe our Grandma was involved.
it would be somewhat difficult for a 13 yr old to get all the way to KY, safely
and then get all the way back to TX

 

[Kat]

Hi, I don't think it is reaching at all and that there could be a military connection using a different name. I have tried to find a "footprint" on the internet for Deanna M. and have come up empty - a couple of leads but that is about it.

Known dates and Places:
1990: Killeen, Texas (Ft.Hood)
1992: Cave City, Kentucky (Ft. Campbell)
1995: Possibly in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area (Ft. Worth)

Was Ft. Worth an active military base in 1995 - I hate to sound silly but am not familiar with the area.

If there was any incidents of domestic violence on military bases residences would the MPP be called in or would it be handled by local LE?

To give you an idea of Kentucky (I did read your post Missie, I just want to explain something to elepher) the distance between Fort Knox KY and Cave City KY is only about an hour, it's a straight shot down I65.

Fort Campbell is a bit further as it is located at the state lines between KY and TN. It's over two hours away.

Fort Worth hasn't been a military instillation since the mid 1800's if IIRC, it's now considered a part of the metropolitan Dallas area from what I gather from living in TX for the past nine years.

To answer your question about domestic violence on military bases, those incidences would have been handled by Military Police. Now, at Ft Hood we also have a police force of civilians and retirees that work in conjuction with our MP's because our MP's are also on rotation for deployments. They are considered federal employees IIRC. Not applicable to the time frame you are asking about though.

The High Schools that service Ft Hood at this time are Shoemaker and Killeen HS. The children are bussed off post to those schools, again not in relation to the time frame we are looking at but gives you information about how it is now. A bigger picture, if you will.

mnegri1973 thank you so much for sharing your insight from being stationed here nearer the time frame that Deanna went missing. We didn't get here until June 2000. I had asked my Husband to have a look at that military address and it was his suggestion that it was 2nd Armor. I'm going to ask him to have another look when he gets time.

Missie, please have patience with us we are following every lead down the rabbit hole so we can make sure that we have eliminated every possibility.

May I please send an email to the local paper requesting an update of the missing girls from this area? I will only do so if you grant me permission. They need to do a followup for not only Deanna but the other missing children. Thanks :blowkiss:

 

[TxBecca]

Carswell Air Force Base was located in Ft. Worth until it closed in 1994. It was then turned into a Joint Reserve Base and it is now operated by the US Navy.

My parents will sometimes visit the base to use the commissary and BX.

Also, when I lived in Killeen in the late 80's-early 90's, I remember it being an open post.

 

[elepher50]

From the Texas marriages archive search: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/vs/marriagedivorce/mindex.shtm

and using finds on Deanna M from the years 1990 to 1995 and under the age of 20, here is the compiled list. Have not had time to do any checking into any of the names but thought it best to put this out here in case any of the names ring a bell with anybody who has looked into Deanna's case.

Hate to quote myself but want to give a follow on update. Further searching re Deanna M.'s from the Texas marriage archives has been done to eliminate any Deanna M.'s where there was also a birth record noted. Started with 45 names and slowly dwindled it to 10 names where no birth record was noted that I could see. Of the 10 with no noted birth records, 3 of them have been discounted as myspace pages have been found which have eliminated them based on physical characteristics. There is 1 really hinky one, and the remaining 6 still need to be chased down. Here is the file with the 10 noted in it and notes to the right hand side.

 

[elepher50]

If they were living in base housing it would be handled by MP's.

I'm still having a hard time really believing she was ever in KY. My reasons being that
anyone could have called and claimed to be Deanna-we haven't been able to prove that it was her.
The only family in KY was our Grandma's siblings (IIRC) and that would mean our Grandma would have been involved. Sgt.D as far as I know, does not believe our Grandma was involved.
it would be somewhat difficult for a 13 yr old to get all the way to KY, safely
and then get all the way back to TX

Hi MissieMt, I agree with you that anybody could have made that call that was travelling through Cave City in 92 saying they were Deanna. So, if we discount the Kentucky call, that puts Deanna in Killeen in 1990 at age 13 and then resurfacing with tattoos in probably the Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas in October of 1995 at age 18. Deanna wasn't with CPS as Bekki looked at the CPS files in 2007 and there was only the one involvement with CPS in 1989. Wherever Deanna was from 1990 to 1995, she was "let loose" when she reached legal age - but where would it have been.

Missie we are asking some tough questions please bear with us - we KNOW you do NOT have the answers - most of the questions are just "seeds for thought" by WS members and maybe somebody will hit upon something and the lights will turn on for us.

 

[Julessleuther]

Wow Elepher, you are smoking!!

Missie, I hear what you are saying about KY-who and why would someone else pretend to be Deanna? I am not saying you are incorrect, because it is a very real possibility, but do you think there is a reason that someone else might have made that phone call for some reason, and if so, why do YOU think so? Do you think it was a friend covering for her, and if so, why bother to make a collect call that does not go through, why not just send a letter that cannot be traced or something.

At this point in time we have very few leads. I really wish we could go back to square one, and that is the night she went missing. Missie, what do you think we should work on? Do you have any ideas of where we can look, or who? We have several scenarios to work from:

1. She willingly ran away. To do this at age 13, she had to have help, and someone she knew helped her. We need to find that (those) someone(s).

2. She was abducted by someone she knew either because of something she saw or knew that she wasn't supposed to see or know, or for some other reason.

3. She was dropped back at her grandmothers but was taken by a stranger before she ever made it inside.

Right now, based on the evidence that has been presented, the #1 scenario fits best. To support this we have:
1. A collect call, supposedly from Deanna from KY in 1992.
2. Police have a possible sighting(?) of a Deanna Merryfield in Hurst, TX in 1995.
3. Police have knowledge of supposed tattoos. (How, and why? It does not appear that they are from the 1995 Hurst encounter.)


Missie--I have lots of questions below. When you get a chance, can you answer them?

1. Could you try to go back to the first 24 -48 hours after Deanna went missing:

2. When your grandmother went into Deanna's room, why did she automatically go to the police?

3. Did she contact Deanna's friends first? Other family (other than your mother)?

4. Did she think Deanna had run away, or did she assume the worst?

5. Had Deanna run away before? If so, had she been threatened punishment if she ran away again? My line of thinking is that in those first 24-48 hours, maybe she just stayed out too late, but once she heard that your grandmother was looking for her, she knew she was in trouble, panicked, and hid out at someones house? If so, where would she go? Skippers house? Tinas house? Maybe they already knew the situation with Roy?

6. Maybe at that time, someone (a friend, a relative of a friend?) told Deanna that she needed to get away from Killeen, where she could be safe from Roy and have a more normal life? If so, whose family was she closest to? Whose family would have wanted her away from Killeen?

7. In another direction, I know this is very personal, but was Deanna the only one accusing Roy? He had already been sentenced though, right? I know he had a son---would he have had contact with Deanna? Could he have done something to her?

8. We know what Deanna did that night, but what did she do that day, during the day? How about the day before?

9. Obviously, since Deanna was not old enough to drive, she was getting a ride from someone else, someone old enough to drive. Who would Deanna have hung out with that was older? Amy's friends? Has Amy ever asked anyone?

10. What "exactly" was said to Amy and Bekki when the operator gave them the collect call; was it "you have a collect call from Deanna?" Did they hear ANYTHING on the line? Are you certain it was a payphone that the call was made from, and how do you know this?

11. Would Deanna have known your moms birthday? I notice they are the same month. When your mom died, did you have a funeral? Did alot of people come? Is there any chance she could have been there and you just did not realize?

12. If the tattoos really exist, one of them was a cross. Was your family religious? If not, who in Deanna's circle of friends did go to a church or was religious? A cross would indicate that she had gained some kind of religion. I know it may be difficult to weed through tattoo artists, but she has three very distinct tattoos. Someone has to remember doing those tattoos for her. Who of her (older) friends had tattoos?

13. Has DNA been entered into CODEX yet for Deanna?

14. Lastly, as far as the official investigation into Deanna's disappearance, I think you need to go higher than Sgt D. Because of the fact that there is supposed contact from KY, which is across state lines, couldn't FBI get involved as a possible kidnapping? Or at the very least, Texas State Police? You need someone with the resources to find answers. I frankly cannot believe that it is been 2 yrs of an "active" investigation, and they have not even interviewed the people she was with that night, nor one of her closest friends, Skipper. I realize that he is in prison several hours away. A phone call could be made to him, or some other form of communication. Police ALWAYS start at the source. Why hasn't that been done? (Hell, give me a phone number and I will call him!) Missie, you deserve answers, and it seems that you are not getting any. Do you have any family/friends who are lawyers? If so, ask them what your rights are. I believe there are a whole bunch of freedom of information rights that you are allowed in seeing the police files for the investigation that has been done so far. The only reason I can see them not allowing you access is if it is an active homicide investigation, and he has not indicated to you that it is, so he has to let you see the files. I am frustrated for you Missie because I know you have waited so long for answers, and I feel Sgt D truly does not understand your pain. It has been 19 yrs. Next year it will be 20 yrs. 20 yrs too long. You deserve answers.


Oh, and by the way...Deanna LOVES New Kids on the Block, especially Joey (there was a Joey, wasn't there?)

Ok, sorry for the rant, stepping off my soapbox...:blowkiss:

 

[mnegri1973]

I know it was said that Deanna's bio dad was found and had indicated that there had been no contact between them. However does Deanna have her bio dad's last name or is it possible (if she does not have his last name) that she was able to get his last name and then she used that name to hide herself. Or have LE looked into her using the last name of someone else in the family or of a close friend perhaps?

The only reason why I ask is that this would give some new names to research, which may lead to a clue to her whereabouts or what happened to her.

M ~

 

[MissieMt]

Respectfully snipped from Jules post. I will try to answer as many as I can

1. Could you try to go back to the first 24 -48 hours after Deanna went missing:

2. When your grandmother went into Deanna's room, why did she automatically go to the police?

3. Did she contact Deanna's friends first? Other family (other than your mother)?

4. Did she think Deanna had run away, or did she assume the worst?

5. Had Deanna run away before? If so, had she been threatened punishment if she ran away again? My line of thinking is that in those first 24-48 hours, maybe she just stayed out too late, but once she heard that your grandmother was looking for her, she knew she was in trouble, panicked, and hid out at someones house? If so, where would she go? Skippers house? Tinas house? Maybe they already knew the situation with Roy?

I'm not sure that our Grandma automatically went to police. As far as I know she did ask friends etc. and waited for a day or two for her to show up. When our Mom didn't file a m.p. report our Grandma did. I'm pretty sure our Grandma just thought she had run away.
As far as I know the only other time Deanna had run away was when her and Bekki snuck out of our house and went to our Grandma and aunt Kathy to tell them of the abuse. She used to sneak out at night but never ran away, as far as I know.

6. Maybe at that time, someone (a friend, a relative of a friend?) told Deanna that she needed to get away from Killeen, where she could be safe from Roy and have a more normal life? If so, whose family was she closest to? Whose family would have wanted her away from Killeen?

7. In another direction, I know this is very personal, but was Deanna the only one accusing Roy? He had already been sentenced though, right? I know he had a son---would he have had contact with Deanna? Could he have done something to her?

8. We know what Deanna did that night, but what did she do that day, during the day? How about the day before?

9. Obviously, since Deanna was not old enough to drive, she was getting a ride from someone else, someone old enough to drive. Who would Deanna have hung out with that was older? Amy's friends? Has Amy ever asked anyone?

10. What "exactly" was said to Amy and Bekki when the operator gave them the collect call; was it "you have a collect call from Deanna?" Did they hear ANYTHING on the line? Are you certain it was a payphone that the call was made from, and how do you know this?

I'm not sure who Deanna was closest with, other than Grandma. There were the Hauns' but they definitely didn't have the means to get Deanna out of town. They were living very below poverty level, no car etc.

Originally all three of the older girl accused Roy. I believe with Amy there wasn't enough to charge him, and Bekki recanted. Roy's son didn't come into our lives until about 1992-1993. He had previously been living with his Mom but was getting into trouble so she sent him to Roy.

Unfortunately I don't know what Deanna had done the days before she left. We were living in different homes and she was more into hanging out with friends than her little sister.

She did sometimes hang out with Amy and her friends. Amy was away in VA. when Deanna left. When she came back she asked her friends about it but nobody knew anything.

The collect call was basically :
Operator: You have a collect call from
"Deanna": Deanna
Operator:Will you accept the charges?
Bekki: Yes
And then the line went dead.

In the late 90's Amy had a friend who was a p.i. he investigated the phone call and traced it back to a pay phone.

11. Would Deanna have known your moms birthday? I notice they are the same month. When your mom died, did you have a funeral? Did alot of people come? Is there any chance she could have been there and you just did not realize?

12. If the tattoos really exist, one of them was a cross. Was your family religious? If not, who in Deanna's circle of friends did go to a church or was religious? A cross would indicate that she had gained some kind of religion. I know it may be difficult to weed through tattoo artists, but she has three very distinct tattoos. Someone has to remember doing those tattoos for her. Who of her (older) friends had tattoos?

13. Has DNA been entered into CODEX yet for Deanna?

14. Lastly, as far as the official investigation into Deanna's disappearance, I think you need to go higher than Sgt D. Because of the fact that there is supposed contact from KY, which is across state lines, couldn't FBI get involved as a possible kidnapping? Or at the very least, Texas State Police? You need someone with the resources to find answers. I frankly cannot believe that it is been 2 yrs of an "active" investigation, and they have not even interviewed the people she was with that night, nor one of her closest friends, Skipper. I realize that he is in prison several hours away. A phone call could be made to him, or some other form of communication. Police ALWAYS start at the source. Why hasn't that been done? (Hell, give me a phone number and I will call him!) Missie, you deserve answers, and it seems that you are not getting any. Do you have any family/friends who are lawyers? If so, ask them what your rights are. I believe there are a whole bunch of freedom of information rights that you are allowed in seeing the police files for the investigation that has been done so far. The only reason I can see them not allowing you access is if it is an active homicide investigation, and he has not indicated to you that it is, so he has to let you see the files. I am frustrated for you Missie because I know you have waited so long for answers, and I feel Sgt D truly does not understand your pain. It has been 19 yrs. Next year it will be 20 yrs. 20 yrs too long. You deserve answers.

Not sure if Deanna knew our Moms birthday. She had a memorial service. There were not many people there. My sisters and I waited at the entrance and spoke with everyone who came.

Our family was not religious at all. Us girl would go to Sunday school when we were younger but then Bekki and Deanna asked to be baptized. Our Mom wouldn't allow it and we stopped going shortly after that.

We have Deanna's mitochondrial dna in the databanks.

 

[Julessleuther]

Thank you Missie, and thank you for being so patient! :blowkiss:

 

[elepher50]

Have looked at more myspace pages than I would care to count or categorize. Have been slowly working through the marriage list with no noted birth records and have eliminated a couple of more. Have been looking at what was happening in the area during the time period and generally looking around for any kind of footprint on the internet.
Thanks for answering our questions MissieMt.

 

[elepher50]

Just wondering if Deanna may be using a different date of birth, like July 22nd or 23rd of 1977. Found some "Deanna M's" with various last names with the birthdays of July 22nd/23rd of 1977. Have looked at some but came up with nothing.

The only exact match for Deanna's birthday and given name is the lady in Florida who I believe can be traced back to Rock Round, Texas. Believe this lady has already been eliminated as a possible match to Deanna though.

That is the thinking for this day .... maybe one of these days I will look at a MySpace and go Holy **** that sure looks like Deanna - wonder what makes people think that "pimping my profile on MySpace" makes their MySpace more attractive - some of the pimping makes my eyes go crazy.

EOR: or End of Rant

 

[MissieMt]

Thank you all for all of your hard work!
I wouldn't be surprised if Deanna was using a diff. birth date.

 

[The_Woof]

Hi Missy,
Can you give a list of names of the people involved - esp. grandma, mom, and uncle who had Bekki?

Thanks!

 

[MissieMt]

Edith Merryfield is "grandma"
Laurel Merryfield is Mom
James Merryfield is our Uncle.

 

[elepher50]

Been looking at more possible myspace and facebook accounts based on different birthdays and name variations - still coming up empty. Eyes are still crossed from looking at the pimped myspace pages.

 

[The_Woof]

Missie, is step*******s son named Chris Maples?

 

[MissieMt]

No it is not The Woof. He shares our Stepdads last name.

 

[The_Woof]

No it is not The Woof. He shares our Stepdads last name.

Darn. I was all revved up with a theory. Sorry Missie, I'll keep thinking on it.