I started reading this thread this morning as I was perusing through WS on my way to Cold Cases-- That Deanna disappeared from Killeen caught my eye. I'm surprised at myself for not having read it much earlier, as that area and especially that time frame hold special significance for me.
I was assigned to Ft Hood in March of '90 after serving three years in Germany. I was an MP and reading Deanna's thread brought back a lot of memories. For perspective's sake, here's a few points about how things were then. Ft Hood was, at the time, the "largest military base in the free world". At any given time, there were 33-35,000 military, dependent, and civilian personnel on the base. It was, as has been stated, an open post and anyone could-and did-enter at any time. There were MPs stationed at the gate entering from the "main street" of Killeen (Rancier) onto Tank Destroyer Blvd during the afternoon on weekdays (for what exact purpose, I can't tell you.) But, otherwise, there were literally a dozen other roads leading onto the post (as well as various foot entrances). The locations mentions, such as Alamo Ave and Dimple St, were all very close to post entrances (and Dimple St was within a block of one of the post housing complexes, which was not located on the base proper). From that end of post, roads could easily and quickly be accessed that led to Belton Lake (which, as has also been stated, was the location of a military recreation area). Those roads were open, desolate, and deserted. They were also the location of some the more horrendous traffic accidents I investigated.
Soldiers from the base were often "friendly" with the local high school girls (to which I can attest from various traffic stops). Though most may have an image of the clean-cut, poster-boy soldiers the Army like to portray, alcohol abuse was rampart at that time (I myself made over 200 DWI arrests from '93 to '95). Drug use also took place, as well as dealing, gun violence... Ft Hood at the time had all the vices of a typical small city. There was also a lot of interaction with the various 'criminal element' in Killeen (gang infiltration). So, the idea that a soldier may have been involved certainly can't be discounted. In point of fact, two soldiers from my own unit were arrested for an off-post murder in the fall of '90.
On another point, the timeframe of Deanna's disappearance is important for this: Only a little over a week later, the entire base was alerted due to the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq. Over the next several weeks, and months, Ft Hood began gearing up for what would become known as Operation Desert Storm. Not only did this affect Ft Hood, but most certainly the neighboring towns of Killeen, Harker Heights, Copperas Cove, and others. At the time, the local towns made their living from the soldiers and their dependents (Killeen had more pawn shops and fast food restaurants than Las Vegas, I'd wager). Did this affect the way in which the police of Killeen investigated Deanna's disappearance? I can't help but believe so.
You guys here at WS never cease to amaze me. As I've read (and re-read) the posts on Deanna's thread, I've made notes to myself on things to follow up on. No surprise to me, but as I've read almost all the points were eventually touched upon by someone else. When I saw the first posted pic of Deanna, I was immediately struck by her resemblance to the UID in AR discovered in '90. Sure enough, I later read that this was discussed, submitted, and dismissed. I love you guys.
The one thing I keep coming back to is the possible interaction between Deanna and a member of the Hurst TX PD. From my law enforcement days, I know it was common to ID all the occupants of a suspicious vehicle to check for wants/warrants. If someone didn't have ID, the common practice in TX is to check NCIC through name and date of birth. The dispatch officer, after having ran the check, would simply inform the requesting officer if there were in fact any outstanding warrants. If not, and no other arrests were made from the vehicle, the officer most likely wouldn't bother recording the info from the other occupants. Its possible that there was no hit at all-no record found. Its up to the officer's discretion as to what to do at that point. I don't think it ever happened to me, but Im not sure that a record would have existed for someone who didn't have a driver's license, state ID, etc. I have to wonder if Deanna was ever placed into the national database or if her missing report was kept local by KPD and expunged when she reached 18. Still, someone had to have had her correct name and date of birth for the "hit" to have later been discovered. A friend? An acquaintance?
Or, as was previously suggested, could someone have been checking for information on Deanna? The NCIC and other databases are supposed to be accessed only by law enforcement personnel for legal/enforcement purposes. Is it possible that an officer assigned to the Hurst PD has earlier worked for KPD? Or been a soldier at Ft Hood who later entered law enforcement?
