MA-Deborah Ann Quimby - 13 - missing since 1977

[Doyle]

Authorities were draining a local pond on Wednesday searching for a teenager who disappeared nearly three decades ago.

Police began draining Walker Pond on Tuesday in an attempt to find the remains of 13-year-old Deborah Ann Quimby, who disappeared on May 3, 1977. The two-acre pond is about 100 yards from Turnpike Road, along the route Quimby would have taken the day she disappeared.

Quimby vanished after telling her mother she planned to ride her bicycle from her home on Smith Street to her grandmother's house on Vinton Pond Road. She was accompanied by a friend as far as Turnpike Road, but she was never seen or heard from again.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040616/APN/406160964

[pugsley]

http://www.doenetwork.us/ case file 274DFMA

http://www.lowellsun.com/Stories/0,1413,105~4746~2219032,00.html

Anonymous letters drove police to scour pond for girl
Draining in Townsend continues after second tip on Quimby

By Matt O'Brien, MediaNews
TOWNSEND Cadaver-sniffing dogs circled Walker Pond and barked loudly at its shore yesterday afternoon, expressing what Police Chief Erving Marshall Jr. said was "some interest" in the search for the remains of a 13-year-old girl.
Deborah Ann Quimby disappeared May 3, 1977, but Marshall revealed yesterday that a pair of anonymous and "somewhat specific" letters, sent exactly one year apart, inspired police to search the pond.

"I have no idea who it is," Marshall said of the tipster. "It's obviously somebody who's had this on his mind for 27 years."

Police received the first letter in November 2002, and prepared a search of the pond when the weather grew warm.

After a well-publicized sonar scan of the pond proved inconclusive on May 3, 2003 26 years to the day Deborah disappeared another letter arrived at the station in November 2003.

The message this time: Take a closer look.

Marshall said this second, more intensive search of the pond will be the last.

[LP Moderator]

Oh my God! How creepy is that? How can these cops say this is the "last" look they'll take? Can't they drain the thing or something?

Oops, I guess they can!

MORE FROM THE ARTICLE:

* * *

Blackbirds and butterflies fluttered over the bucolic pond yesterday as three droning industrial water pumps drained the site at 2,500 to 3,000 gallons per minute for the second day.

The Fire Department started pumping at about 8 p.m. Tuesday and is working around the clock to drain the two-acre pond into a brook that empties into the Squannacook River.

Police Sgt. Travis Rixford said officials now hope to complete the task by Friday.

"It's about 10 to 12 feet deep," he said.

The pond is fed intermittently by another pond, said Environmental Police Officer Steve McAndrew. Rixford said the pumps must outpace the in-flow of water.

Police obtained permission from the state Department of Environmental Protection to conduct the search.

Police say they will continue draining, day and night, until they reach about 10 to 20 feet beyond the present shoreline.

The pond was still mostly filled yesterday afternoon, but a marshy area on its northern end was completely dry.

Investigators will soon walk onto the dried-up edges of the pond, using hand-tools to investigate.

Chief Marshall was a 23-year-old rookie cop, just three weeks into his job, when the Quimby family called him about their concerns for their daughter in May 1977.

The girl left a handwritten letter for her parents, telling them she had "some issues" to deal with, but that she would call them that evening, Marshall said.

Deborah left another note for a school-age friend on the same day.

In that note, she said she was heading off from her Smith Street home to the campsite of her grandfather, Vernon Quimby.

The late Vernon Quimby, former principal of the Spaulding Memorial Elementary School, had a campsite in southwest Townsend near Vinton Pond, but the teenager never arrived.

"She didn't show up at camp. She didn't return home," Marshall said.

Instead, Deborah was last seen riding her three-speed bicycle up the slope where Turnpike Road forks off of Route 119, adjacent to the Spaulding school, Marshall said.

The spot is less than a half-mile from Walker Pond.

The second day of searching yesterday attracted numerous onlookers, from concerned and curious town residents who never knew the Quimbys to former Police Chief William May.

May, who ran the Police Department from 1981 to 2001, said the whole town is concerned about the outcome of the search.

"I think it's a case that the present chief and his staff have every intention of solving and I'll help them in any way I can," May said.

May took over the department from Marshall's father, Erving Marshall Sr., who was chief when Deborah Quimby disappeared, and said he continued the investigation throughout his tenure.

Some suspects turned out to be dead-ends. Other leads were hard to follow.

But May said new technology helped make this year's renewed search possible.

"Things have changed tremendously," he said. "But nothing's easy."

No one answered the door at the West Townsend home of the girl's parents yesterday.

* * *

Marshall would not comment on whether there were any abduction suspects, or whether police consider the anonymous letter-writer a concerned friend or a suspect.

He only said it was a "substantial lead" in a mystery that for 27 years had very few.

"As times go by these cases don't get any easier," Marshall said., Sun Staff

[Juliana]

Investigators find clothing during search for missing girl.

http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/06192004/south_of/22500.htm

[Newswolf]

http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MISSING_GIRL_OLD_CASE?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

The search, the second at the pond in two years, yielded a few articles of clothing and an old bike. But authorities don't know yet if the items are major clues because the pond was used as a dump until the late 1970s and holds all manner of junk.

Deborah's parents are grateful for the renewed effort to find their daughter, who would be 40 now.

"We hope that some of that turns into finding our daughter and puts an end to this," said Richard "Jake" Quimby. "We just want an end to it."

[blueclouds]

letters revive old case... more info on this

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20040626_688.html

[blueclouds]

Another link regarding search and firms providing money and assistance for the search. Bringing in a rig to help with the massive amount of mud authorities have been dealing with.

http://www.townsendtimes.com/Stories/0,1413,112~6010~2257655,00.html

[blueclouds]

giant crane starts digging today
http://www.townsendtimes.com/Stories/0,1413,112~6010~2262390,00.html

[Hollow]

http://www.nashobapublishing.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?article=3472533

[Richard]

Deborah Ann Quimby
Missing since May 3, 1977 from Townsend, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics

Date Of Birth: October 9, 1963
Age at Time of Disappearance: 13 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'1; 120 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown hair; brown eyes. She has freckles.
Clothing: A multicolored shirt, blue jeans, and a royal blue Pop Warner jacket with the name "Debbie" embroidered on the sleeve.
Dentals: Available

Circumstances of Disappearance

Quimby left a note for her mother saying that she was riding her bike from her house on Smith Street at about 4 p.m, to her grandparent's house on Vinton Pond Road in West Townsend and would call home later that day. The bike ride was about four miles long. She was last seen on the crest of the hill on Turnpike Road, heading west.

Her bike, a brown Takara 10-speed bike, boys model, has never been found.

In November 2002, police received the first of 2 anonymous letters. The letter prompted police to do a search of Walker Pond near where Quimby was last seen in May of 2003. After a well-publicized sonar scan of the pond proved inconclusive on May 3, 2003, another letter arrived in November 2003. This one stated "Take a closer look". The second search yeiled some articles of clothing and an old bike, but it is not know yet if these items are connected to Quimby.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning Quimby's whereabouts, please contact:
Townsend Police Department
Missing Persons Unit
508-597-2176
All information may be submitted on an anonymous basis.

NCIC Number: M-195533564
Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Source Information:
The National Center For Missing and Exploited Children
NorthWest Herald
The Doe Network: Case File 274DFMA

Link:
http://www.doenetwork.us/cases/274dfma.html

[Marie]

No giving up on missing girl (http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070503/NEWS/705030669/1116)

Deborah Quimby disappeared 30 years ago

Deborah’s parents arrived at their Smith Street home 30 years ago today to find a note from the girl saying she had some issues and was going to go think things out. She told a friend she was going to go to her grandfather’s camp on Vinton Pond Road on her brown Takara 10-speed bicycle.

No trace of Deborah or her bicycle has ever been found.

The search is not over. The FBI’s behavioral science unit will take a look at the case, Chief Marshall said, and Mrs. Quimby has supplied a DNA sample to authorities that could help identify remains.

The chief, who was a member of the department when Deborah vanished, said he will never let the case be forgotten.

[Richard]

Bumping case up. It has been 30 years since Deborah disappeared. This case has quite a few similarities to other cases of missing girls in the same general area.

[meggilyweggily]

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/q/quimby_deborah.html

[Richard]

It has been almost a year since anyone has posted to this thread. Here is an updated case file and link.

It seems that there were a number of similar abductions in the mid 1970's involving young boys and girls riding their bicycles.

-------------------------------------------------
Deborah Ann Quimby
Missing since May 3, 1977 from Townsend, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.
Classification: Endangered Missing

Vital Statistics

Date Of Birth: October 9, 1963
Age at Time of Disappearance: 13 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 5'1; 120 pounds
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Brown hair; brown eyes. She has freckles.
Clothing: A multicolored shirt, blue jeans, and a royal blue Pop Warner jacket with the name "Debbie" embroidered on the sleeve.
Dentals: Available

Circumstances of Disappearance

Quimby left a note for her mother saying that she was riding her bike from her house on Smith Street at about 4 p.m, to her grandparent's house on Vinton Pond Road in West Townsend and would call home later that day.

The bike ride was about four miles long. She was last seen on the crest of the hill on Turnpike Road, heading west.

Her bike, a brown Takara 10-speed bike, boys model, has never been found.

Investigators
If you have any information concerning Quimby's whereabouts, please contact:

Townsend Police Department
Missing Persons Unit
508-597-2176
All information may be submitted on an anonymous basis.

NCMEC #: NCMC727916
NCIC Number: M-195533564
Please refer to these numbers when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.


Source Information
The National Center For Missing and Exploited Children
NorthWest Herald
The Doe Network: Case File 274DFMA

LINK:

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/274dfma.html

[Curious2]

I live in this area and remember the newspaper reports sporadically coming out over the past 5-6 years, and on the 30th anniverasry of this disappearance. I now drive this route daily and every time I go through Townsend my mind starts thinking of this...it's bugging me.
- this is clearly an old cold case....none of the newspaper accounts seem to provide much info...is it because there isn't any more? if there is under what situation would the police open up and tell us all they know?
- why do searches stop? is it because the case is dead ended or money has run out?
How does the public know which one it is?
- Townsend 30 years ago was a country town, it has since developed pockets of upper middle class, but still remains down trodden in some areas...and the location of this disappearnce seems to be one of them...if I have it right she was last seen on turnpike road near the spaulding school...riding this road goes into the sticks and flashes back 30 years in less than 1 mile.
- The are is surrounded by woods and state parks.
- It seems to me, based on recent publicize child disappearances that most times the missing child is a lot closer to home/are of disappearance than people think. The search quickly expands only for the child to be found very close after the fact.
- How does one find out,(without coming on like a creep) what has been searched and what has been looked at to date? (if it's possible)
- Even the recent letters...surely the police knoe the location of the post mark, and a hand writing expert can tell the approc age of the person and probably the gender.

thanks for any replies...

[believe09]

I live in this area and remember the newspaper reports sporadically coming out over the past 5-6 years, and on the 30th anniverasry of this disappearance. I now drive this route daily and every time I go through Townsend my mind starts thinking of this...it's bugging me.
- this is clearly an old cold case....none of the newspaper accounts seem to provide much info...is it because there isn't any more? if there is under what situation would the police open up and tell us all they know?
- why do searches stop? is it because the case is dead ended or money has run out?
How does the public know which one it is?
- Townsend 30 years ago was a country town, it has since developed pockets of upper middle class, but still remains down trodden in some areas...and the location of this disappearnce seems to be one of them...if I have it right she was last seen on turnpike road near the spaulding school...riding this road goes into the sticks and flashes back 30 years in less than 1 mile.
- The are is surrounded by woods and state parks.
- It seems to me, based on recent publicize child disappearances that most times the missing child is a lot closer to home/are of disappearance than people think. The search quickly expands only for the child to be found very close after the fact.
- How does one find out,(without coming on like a creep) what has been searched and what has been looked at to date? (if it's possible)
- Even the recent letters...surely the police knoe the location of the post mark, and a hand writing expert can tell the approc age of the person and probably the gender.

thanks for any replies...

Hi, Curious-this is my relative. She disappeared when I was 7. I had no idea that there was a thread on her, so let me first state, as I cry (I can't believe it!) that I am very, very grateful for the interest shown to date.

The letters were postmarked from NH. They have been analyzed down to the ground in terms of paper, ink etc.

I wonder if there was an attempt to lift DNA from either the stamps or the flaps...I do not know at this point, and do not know if it would be too degraded. If there were prints recovered, they clearly did not match any in the system.

Her final resting place is allegedly Walker Pond, but this tiny town ran out of the money needed to complete the search. Cadaver dogs alerted to an area in or near the pond...in spite of the pond being drained twice, there was no body found although objects were recovered. At one point, the Army Corps of Engineers came (I think with the last search) and chunks of land and silt were dug...with the amount of time that has passed, it is hard to tell how deep to dig....

Her father died within the last few years of pancreatic cancer-Richard was never, ever the same after she disappeared. Her mother has kept her room the same-can you even imagine waiting 35+ years for your child to come home? They (her mother and her brothers) are due some answers...

Peace

[believe09]

I am not a spokesperson for these members of my family-but if there are questions or sufficient interest, I can check and see what might be going on and where we can help.

[christine2448]

I'm in, if there is anything we can do.

I talked with GA Missing Clearing house this week about setting up DNA 'get togethers' (still need a name for this!) and they said the new thing for ID is dentals, easier, less expensive, much faster.

Believe, find out if they have dental records for Deborah.

[christine2448]

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-162971859.html

An anonymous handwritten letter sent to police almost five years ago sparked a major effort in the ongoing search for Deborah.
The letter was sent to the "chief of police" in Townsend in November 2002. It was about three-quarters of a page in length. It said police should search for her body in Walker Pond off Turnpike Road. The letter writer did not claim responsibility for the girl's disappearance.
Chief Marshall called the state police and Environmental Police, and they did a sonar search of the pond but did not reach any conclusions.
Another letter came in the winter of 2003 - in what the chief described as similar handwriting - urging police to take a closer look at a specific section of the pond.
The letters had come out of the blue, he said, noting the case had not been in public discussion for years, although pondering the case had been part of his own daily routine for a quarter-century.
"The decision was made to drain the pond," the chief said.
What followed was an arduous 38 days of intensive searching through the murky bottom of Walker Pond, as volunteers toiled with hands and heavy equipment for any trace of Deborah. They found none.
"The conditions over there were horrendous," the chief said, recalling the sight of cranes being lowered more than a dozen feet into the muck, material he described as "muddy quicksand."
"Out of all the stuff we've done on this," Chief Marshall said, "that was the biggest letdown."
Searchers were heartbroken when the effort was suspended, but the chief said it was clear there would be no resolution.
He waited for more correspondence from the anonymous tipster, but none has
come.
"I'd go back (to the pond) tomorrow if I had anything specific," Chief Marshall said.
The letters have been analyzed for any forensic clues, but nothing ever materialized, he said.

[christine2448]

Trying to find these without having to pay, LOL!


1.) New information needed before Quimby search continues (http://nl.newsbank.com/nojavascript.html)
Author: Diane C. Beaudoin
Publication: Townsend Times (MA)
Publish Date: August 4, 2004
Word Count: 433
Document ID: 10444291641A5452
TOWNSEND -- The possibility of a return to Walker Pond to continue the search for missing teen Deborah Quimby is not totally out of the question. However, more specific information will be needed before digging could resume, according to Sgt. Travis Rixford.
The search of the muddy pond originally encompassed an area that was 100-feet by 50-feet, but that was increased to 282-feet by 50-feet once excavation equipment was brought in that could deal with the deep mud and silt.
The

2.) FBI steps up involvement (http://nl.newsbank.com/nojavascript.html)
Author: with Townsend Quimby case
Publication: Townsend Times (MA)
Publish Date: May 11, 2007
Word Count: 305
Document ID: 11916B1042733668
TOWNSEND -- Police Chief Erving Marshall Jr. has confirmed rumors that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has recently shown renewed interest in the Deborah Anne Quimby disappearance case. He said his department is preparing to ship its investigatory files to the FBI after having worked with the bureau's behavioral science unit for the past month or so.
"We reached out to them recently and they're taking a lead role in this," Marshall said

3.) Deborah Quimby: Another birthday on Friday, missing since 1977 (http://nl.newsbank.com/nojavascript.html)
Author: Diane C. Beaudoin
Publication: Townsend Times (MA)
Publish Date: October 5, 2005
Word Count: 542
Document ID: 10D11005B280D158
TOWNSEND -- On Oct. 9 Deborah Ann Quimby would have celebrated her 42nd birthday, but to date, she has not been found. Quimby disappeared on May 3, 1977, at age 13. She was last seen riding her bicycle on Turnpike Road in Townsend and reports said she was on her way to her grandfather's house on Vinton Pond Road. Quimby never arrived.
Walker Pond was the scene of a massive effort from May to July 2004, as the police received two anonymous letters with one stating

4.) Search continues for Deborah Anne Quimby, lost 29 years ago (http://nl.newsbank.com/nojavascript.html)
Author: Diane C. Beaudoin
Publication: Townsend Times (MA)
Publish Date: April 28, 2006
Word Count: 351
Document ID: 1114919B8C1C3C28
TOWNSEND -- On Wednesday, May 3, Townsend will begin its 29th year of searching for Deborah Anne Quimby. Quimby disappeared in 1977 at the age of 13, and was last seen riding her bicycle on Turnpike Road, near Walker Pond.
At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing a multi-colored shirt, blue jeans and a royal blue Pop Warner jacket with Debbie written on the sleeve. She weighed 120 pounds, had brown hair, brown eyes, was 5 feet 1 inch tall, and a fair complexion. She resided with

5.) The Quimbys' appeal (http://nl.newsbank.com/nojavascript.html)

Publication: Shirley Oracle (MA)
Publish Date: June 25, 2004
Word Count: 566
Document ID: 103BE661A6F00E3C
Two anonymous letters have reopened the case of Deborah Ann Quimby of Townsend, missing since May 3, 1977. She was only 13. Every news outlet in the region is carrying the news of the reopened investigation, which has led state and local police to Townsend's Walker's Pond in an effort to unearth any evidence of Debbie's disappearance buried there. Walker's Pond is adjacent to Turnpike Road where Debbie was last seen.
The old newspaper story

6.) The Quimbys' appeal (http://nl.newsbank.com/nojavascript.html)

Publication: Groton Landmark (MA)
Publish Date: June 25, 2004
Word Count: 566
Document ID: 1037039BD1347268
Two anonymous letters have reopened the case of Deborah Ann Quimby of Townsend, missing since May 3, 1977. She was only 13. Every news outlet in the region is carrying the news of the reopened investigation, which has led state and local police to Townsend's Walker's Pond in an effort to unearth any evidence of Debbie's disappearance buried there. Walker's Pond is adjacent to Turnpike Road where Debbie was last seen.
The old newspaper story

7.) The Quimbys' appeal (http://nl.newsbank.com/nojavascript.html)

Publication: Harvard Hillside (MA)
Publish Date: June 25, 2004
Word Count: 566
Document ID: 1037030B72822E3F
Two anonymous letters have reopened the case of Deborah Ann Quimby of Townsend, missing since May 3, 1977. She was only 13. Every news outlet in the region is carrying the news of the reopened investigation, which has led state and local police to Townsend's Walker's Pond in an effort to unearth any evidence of Debbie's disappearance buried there. Walker's Pond is adjacent to Turnpike Road where Debbie was last seen.
The old newspaper story

8.) The Quimbys' appeal (http://nl.newsbank.com/nojavascript.html)

Publication: Townsend Times (MA)
Publish Date: June 25, 2004
Word Count: 566
Document ID: 103703D4579A39D5
Two anonymous letters have reopened the case of Deborah Ann Quimby of Townsend, missing since May 3, 1977. She was only 13. Every news outlet in the region is carrying the news of the reopened investigation, which has led state and local police to Townsend's Walker's Pond in an effort to unearth any evidence of Debbie's disappearance buried there. Walker's Pond is adjacent to Turnpike Road where Debbie was last seen.
The old newspaper story

9.) The Quimbys' appeal (http://nl.newsbank.com/nojavascript.html)

Publication: Public Spirit, The (Ayer, MA)
Publish Date: June 25, 2004
Word Count: 566
Document ID: 103BE677CEF4E8D5
Two anonymous letters have reopened the case of Deborah Ann Quimby of Townsend, missing since May 3, 1977. She was only 13. Every news outlet in the region is carrying the news of the reopened investigation, which has led state and local police to Townsend's Walker's Pond in an effort to unearth any evidence of Debbie's disappearance buried there. Walker's Pond is adjacent to Turnpike Road where Debbie was last seen.
The old newspaper story
10.) Walker Pond returning to its natural state (http://nl.newsbank.com/nojavascript.html)
Author: Diane C. Beaudoin
Publication: Townsend Times (MA)
Publish Date: August 13, 2004
Word Count: 458
Document ID: 10475C3BE2B95CE0
TOWNSEND -- Now that the latest search for missing Townsend teen Deborah Ann Quimby has been called off, Walker Pond is beginning to return to its natural state. But though the search has ended, police are hoping that the tipster who send the department two anonymous letters with information in the Quimby case will contact them again.
Not long ago, the pond was empty, and had become a site of barge pumps, cadaver dogs, massive cranes and numerous volunteers for weeks in hopes of finding

[believe09]

Thanks, Christine!
:blowkiss:

[Richard]

Links:
http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/274dfma.html

http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewPoster&caseNum=727916&orgPrefix=NCMC&searchLang=en_US

This is a fascinating case. Hopefully it may one day be resolved.

It is so similar to a number of other cases of missing children who were taken while riding their bicycles. There was a series of such disappearances in Connecticut in the early 1970's, and there were others around the country about the same time that Deborah went missing.

[Curious2]

Thanks to both of you for this info. (believe09 & christine2448),

believe, Can you please tell me where walker pond is? If I am going west on rt. 119 and turn right at the "V" right before spaulding school onto turnpike road..how far down that road is walker pond? Is it on the left where I see the cement something or other around it? (along with trucks)...across from the cows?

Also...and don't get anyone's hopes up I am just inquiring...do you know how much $$ is needed to finish the pond search? or at least jump start it?

I hope you don't mind me asking these questions...am I correct she was last seen right near spaulding school to the right or near that apartment complex going up turnpike road?

if so..from this point where did her grand parents live? Varnum road I think, but where is that from this disappearance point? Down turnpike road which quickly turns into the sticks?

As I said I drive 119 everyday coming west to east and I have scanned the road signs left and right with my eyes but see no other landmarks mentioned in any articles...oh wait..I have seem the state park..on the right "pearl" st. or somethign mentioned.

After receiving your answers I will scour the notes supplied by christine so as not to be a pain in the but.

God Bless!

[Curious2]

where is Smith St?

where is Vinton Pond rd.

I am going to look for both online now.

[Richard]

Here are some cases which might be related to this case:

Debbie Spickler, 13, of Mystic, CT was visiting a relative in Vernon, CT when she disappeared from Henry Park on July 24, 1968.

Janice Pockett, 7, vanished in Tolland, CT on July 26, 1973.

Lisa White, 13, of Vernon, CT was last seen about the night of Nov. 1, 1974, along Route 83 in that town.

Susan Larosa abducted in 1975 from Vernon, CT found deceased a few years later south of I 84 in Vernon.

Stephanie Olisky, 15 East Windsor, CT 7/21/75 Found on Route 5 Critical Condition. Later dies. In East Windsor. Just two towns away from Vernon.

Angelo Puglisi, a Massachusetts child vanished in 1976

Maria Florence Anjiras Missing 12 Feb 1976 Norwalk, CT
Link
http://www.missingkids.com/missingki...archLang=en_US

Pattie Luce abducted and murdered from Vernon, CT (1977?) Found deceased in Marlborough.

Doreen Vincent, 12, disappeared June 15, 1988. Listed as an "endangered runaway,"

-----------------------
LINK to a related Websleuths thread:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5007

[Curious2]

I have no professional experience on this. But I think the police have a lead that has gone nowheres. I read these articles but never see what the police have found anywheres, or what they have done to date. What has been searched & where etc. Maybe this info has disappeared with age. I am sure they have done a great job and put in lots of effort.

- no police info revealed.....makes me believe they have some but are at a stand still waiting & hoping something breaks.
- very much a back country road once someone gets by spaulding school...translation..only locals use this road...if it is a local 30 years has gone by.
- I wonder if the pond has been checked with sonar checking & mapping out the bottom for objects...a big unknown for me.
Still thinking...the current police chief was a rookie when this happened...when he retires a lot of info will go with him...ugh.

[believe09]

If it was a local, how do some of the other cases possibly tie in? The MO is pretty distinctive-grabbing children off of bikes.

[believe09]

Here are some cases which might be related to this case:

Debbie Spickler, 13, of Mystic, CT was visiting a relative in Vernon, CT when she disappeared from Henry Park on July 24, 1968.

Janice Pockett, 7, vanished in Tolland, CT on July 26, 1973.

Lisa White, 13, of Vernon, CT was last seen about the night of Nov. 1, 1974, along Route 83 in that town.

Susan Larosa abducted in 1975 from Vernon, CT found deceased a few years later south of I 84 in Vernon.

Stephanie Olisky, 15 East Windsor, CT 7/21/75 Found on Route 5 Critical Condition. Later dies. In East Windsor. Just two towns away from Vernon.

Angelo Puglisi, a Massachusetts child vanished in 1976

Maria Florence Anjiras Missing 12 Feb 1976 Norwalk, CT
Link
http://www.missingkids.com/missingki...archLang=en_US

Pattie Luce abducted and murdered from Vernon, CT (1977?) Found deceased in Marlborough.

Doreen Vincent, 12, disappeared June 15, 1988. Listed as an "endangered runaway,"

-----------------------
LINK to a related Websleuths thread:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5007

Bar-Jonah, who was born David Brown in Worcester, Mass, was born 2/15/1957. That would make him 11 at the time of the first girl's disappearance...gotta be a stretch IMO since the body was never found, but he did supposedly choke a female classmate when he was 10?

[meggilyweggily]

People have a tendency to try to link every crime they can think of to a serial killer whenever a new one is discovered. I highly doubt Bar-Jonah had anything to do with Deborah's case. Unfortunately there are plenty of others, adults, who had it in them to murder an innocent teenage girl and dispose of her body where it could never be found.

[Curious2]

Townsend was a country town 30 years ago, it didn't get the traffic it does now.
If she left the commons area riding her bike west on rt 119 for a short distance, then veered her bike to the right up past the school she quickly was off the main road and in the sticks very quickly. ( and I mean sticks!)
- She either was followed from the commons area.
- by a local...would be easy to do...no suspicion. I rule this out because she was accompanied by someone else on a bike for a short distance. Yes probably another juvenile who wasn't aware of his/her surrounding but someone else was present with her never the less.........I rule this out...or names/faces would have been provided to the police from the accompanying person or possibly another towns person would have seen this person.
- followed by a non local. I rule this out because a non local hanging around would be noticed by townspeople. This is rural new england..outsiders are frowned against.

I go back to all was well till she turned right and rode up past the school.
She could have made arrangements to meet someone, and had a prearranged meeting with someone and her plans were then to continue on to her grand parents( I read this was her parents theory/ a meeting w/someone else). Or she ran into someone else and foul play followed. I think either of the above is valid. By I don't believe it was a stranger she ran into on that road.

- if it was a stranger and they abducted her they would be taking a chance having her / transporting her in the car for any distance. Either being seen or the kid making noise. Also factor in the bike.

This is a slow winding road, speed limit now is prolly 35 mph and a stranger driving around might be noticed by the few occupants in the houses on this road.
But a local would know the road, cause no alarm if seen by others, and would possible know the woods. A local could possible coerce her into the car with no noise, etc. A local could do harm to her right there in the woods or pick her up transport her a short distance and do so. Then dispose of her in a place they know will never be found. Less visibility and suspicion for a local.

That's as far as I am...in my thinking....I am now contemplating did she run into harm on the road and was then disposed of in the pond...which I am leaning against because I would think this would take time..and the person would risk being seen there..or was she transported somewhere's else...harm done and then the person doubled back purposedly disposing of her in the pond..which means the body was tied down or something so it didn;t float. Then I wonder why would someone dispose of her body close to where she was last seen....so I'm slowly ruling this out.

I am settling on a generic...she was harmed near where she was last seen..and is somewhere's still in the area...within a fixed distance from the last known place she was seen (could be a few miles).

To the right off this road is all woods..not sure how much but I would say maybe a few miles in width & depth. It may also be a state park...which would mean no hunting hence no yearly traffic that could possibly flush out a body. But still by now I would think if the body was hastily disposed of it would have been found.

There is a cow farm right on this road. It's been there forever...cause you can tell the road goes around the feeding shed..not the feeding shed was built that close to the road. I got the willies driving by this. It is seriously like driving from the 21st century back into "deliverance" within 1/2 mile. My wife accompnaied me too and had the same feeling.

- I read the pond was drained well a couple of years ago.
- The thinking is the bottom of the pond is like quick sand and a heavy object would sink 6-10 feet below the surface. How much does a 13 yr. old girl weigh? Yes..the cadeveur dogs got reactions from the pond.
- The 2 anony letters..one post marked from worceter and the other manchester NH...could have been mailed in the same mail box and because or rural u.s. mail both routed to different centers.
- The letters were "typed" with hand written addressee (the police chief).
I wonder what does typed mean...does this mean using a "typewritter" or a "printer". Knowing this may help in aging the writer. Why would someone write and then go silent?...either an attention seeker..or possibly the person is dead.

Still thinking...sorry for my ramblings...I could go on but will stop for now.

[Richard]

People have a tendency to try to link every crime they can think of to a serial killer whenever a new one is discovered. I highly doubt Bar-Jonah had anything to do with Deborah's case. Unfortunately there are plenty of others, adults, who had it in them to murder an innocent teenage girl and dispose of her body where it could never be found.

I agree with you that there is a tendency to at least look at other cases when a person is identified as being a serial killer, to consider whether or not he might have committed them. It does not make an investigation invalid to do so, unless there is a rush to judgement with blinders on.

The decision to try to make connections between a series of crimes and a specific criminal has to be made after considering a lot of different factors about the Serial Killer. One who travels around a lot, as opposed to one who lives and kills in a small area would be one to consider for a wide range of jurisdictions. Unfortunately, they are often the hardest to catch, because of their mobility and wide area.

Certainly there are - at any given time - a number of possible killers operating in the same vicinity. And sometimes they can have the same MO, choice of weapons, tools, vehicles, etc. But you have to remember that a serial killer is a pretty unique/rare individual, so while places like California and New York might have more of them in a given area, there just are not all that many of them in the more rural places like these little New England towns.

I grant that there are such things as pure coincidence, and investigators have to consider that in their work. But when you get a whole lot of very similar murders, the chances of it being just coincidence diminish quickly.

[Richard]

Here is an example of another case with similar elements. Note, however, that this one took place in Canada.

Michelle Lise Wedge
Missing since July 2, 1975 from Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada.
Classification: Endangered Missing


Vital Statistics

Date Of Birth: December 1, 1967
Age at Time of Disappearance: 7 years old
Height and Weight at Time of Disappearance: 4'0"
Distinguishing Characteristics: White female. Dark blonde, shoulder-length hair; brown eyes. Wedge has a fair complexion.
Dentals: Good teeth.
Clothing: At the time of her disappearance, Wedge was wearing shorts, stockings and size 3 sandals, all navy blue in color. She also wore a red and white checkered T-shirt.

Circumstances of Disappearance
Wedge had been left in the care of her older siblings and was riding her bike in the neighborhood as dusk was approaching.

Her older brother who was watching her, had friends over and noone noticed that Wedge had disappeared until her sister got home around 9pm. and realized that Wedge wasn't in the yard playing.

Initial interviews with friends and neighbors determined that Wedge had last been seen at around 9:10pm., about 40 minutes after her brother recalled having heard her exiting the house to play outside.

Someone had seen her riding her Mustang-style bicycle north on Dominion Street, near the intersection with John Street, just a few houses away from her home. Another individual reported seeing the same thing at about the same time. Still another seemed to recall seeing a young girl getting into a car at that corner that night.

Her bicycle was found by her brother on the boulevard at the southwest corner of Dominion Street and John Street.



LINK:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62178

[believe09]

how do you control a child on a bike and what do you do with the bike later...Debby was not a tiny weak child-do you hit the bike with your vehicle and it disappears to prevent disclosure of that method? Do you coax the child into the vehicle with the bike, or do you go back and pick up the bike later?

[Curious2]

coax the child and grab the bike at the same time....

example............"hello, I was asked to come find you, there has been accident involving your (brother, sister, dad, mom, grand parents or any relative) I'll take you to them,quick let's get going stepping out of the car, poping the trunk, let's put your bike in..."

This could be done by a local or non local.

I'm not familiar with any of the other local cases you references earlier today in a post..or maybe it was yesterday.

I do wonder in situations like this what statistics would say...would they indicate it was someone familiar with her or a stranger?

Thinking of many of the public child disappearances...on TV I lean towards over 50% the person was known to the victim. No statistical proof..just an observation.

[Curious2]

Also this case is not completely cold, I read within the past 2 years the FBI's Behavorial
Science Team has picked this up...sounds like a profiling group.

[believe09]

Here are some cases which might be related to this case:

Debbie Spickler, 13, of Mystic, CT was visiting a relative in Vernon, CT when she disappeared from Henry Park on July 24, 1968.

Janice Pockett, 7, vanished in Tolland, CT on July 26, 1973.

Lisa White, 13, of Vernon, CT was last seen about the night of Nov. 1, 1974, along Route 83 in that town.

Susan Larosa abducted in 1975 from Vernon, CT found deceased a few years later south of I 84 in Vernon.

Stephanie Olisky, 15 East Windsor, CT 7/21/75 Found on Route 5 Critical Condition. Later dies. In East Windsor. Just two towns away from Vernon.

Angelo Puglisi, a Massachusetts child vanished in 1976

Maria Florence Anjiras Missing 12 Feb 1976 Norwalk, CT
Link
http://www.missingkids.com/missingki...archLang=en_US

Pattie Luce abducted and murdered from Vernon, CT (1977?) Found deceased in Marlborough.

Doreen Vincent, 12, disappeared June 15, 1988. Listed as an "endangered runaway,"

-----------------------
LINK to a related Websleuths thread:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5007

These are the other cases I am referring to....

[Curious2]

Distance from Townsend Ma to Vernon Ct...........84 miles
"" "" to Mystic Ct...........113 miles
"" "" to Tolland Ct.........76
"" "" to East Windsor......89
"" "" to Boston ............approx 30 (thinking of Angelo Puglisi)

The distance between these towns is much less than the distance to Townsend (except for Boston). Granted these are not great distances, but why would this person all of a sudden come to Townsend a much greater distance out of the way when they have been staying the ct. area?

I don't see it. shrugs..

[believe09]

Distance from Townsend Ma to Vernon Ct...........84 miles
"" "" to Mystic Ct...........113 miles
"" "" to Tolland Ct.........76
"" "" to East Windsor......89
"" "" to Boston ............approx 30 (thinking of Angelo Puglisi)

The distance between these towns is much less than the distance to Townsend (except for Boston). Granted these are not great distances, but why would this person all of a sudden come to Townsend a much greater distance out of the way when they have been staying the ct. area?

I don't see it. shrugs..

Well, I think it is all in how you look at it-Patti Luce was dropped in Marlborough, which I have taken to mean Marlborough, MA. Where are the ones who have not been found? Is it realistic that the person involved would have transported all of the bodies out of state...

[meggilyweggily]

how do you control a child on a bike and what do you do with the bike later...Debby was not a tiny weak child-do you hit the bike with your vehicle and it disappears to prevent disclosure of that method? Do you coax the child into the vehicle with the bike, or do you go back and pick up the bike later?


Shawn Hornbeck, an 11-year-old boy, was forcibly abducted and his bicycle was not found; I don't know what happened to it. I think the "how to avoid getting kidnapped" brochures for kids advise them that if they're accosted by someone while riding their bike, they should hold onto the bike at all costs, as it's a lot harder to haul away a kid AND a bike at the same time than it is to just get the kid.

[Curious2]

The ones who know the most on this are the police. I believe they must have some leads that have dried up, could be local and non local.

I would not increase the perimeter of this area / disappearance until I was 100 percent sure it wasn't a local........that's all I'm saying, because once you do the possibilities expand enormously.

Since I've been researching this for a few weeks, and am 30 years behind, I haven't read enough to drop the local theory.

[Curious2]

believe09,

Why don't you help me rule out a local, since you know the case and the town.
What area's of Townsend have been searched?
How long ago?
Why are the police not releasing all they have?

[believe09]

believe09,

Why don't you help me rule out a local, since you know the case and the town.
What area's of Townsend have been searched?
How long ago?
Why are the police not releasing all they have?

Well I like to think that all the information is not out there because it is going to help narrow down responsibility, jmo. Everything that is in the media is probably fair game for discussion-I remember hearing in my younger days that a whole lot of campsites in the area were searched, and of course Walker Pond was searched intitally, as well as the publicized searches from a few years ago. I suspect any friends of hers have been pretty heavily vetted as well as close family members; not uncommon in this kind of case.

What has always struck me from day one is why it was so clearly foul play and not that she just ran away never to return. And of course, as you mentioned, the FBI Behavioral Sciences unit has her case right now-I would like to know what the criteria is for them to take on a case? Do they take them on for a one-off so to speak...meaning a local who might have preyed upon just Debby for a particular reason?

I am still on the fence about the local thing, because I find the idea of snatching girls off of bikes pretty risky-yet it seems to have worked in at least a few cases that we have listed here.

Settling on a local brings with it a whole new set of considerations-why Debby? Was it just Debby? What's with the letters?

[Curious2]

Psychological sleuths
Criminal profiling: the reality behind the myth Forensic psychologists are working with law enforcement officials to integrate psychological science into criminal profiling.
BY LEA WINERMAN
Monitor Staff


In 1974, the FBI formed its Behavioral Science Unit to investigate serial rape and homicide cases.



From 1976 to 1979, several FBI agents--most famously John Douglas and Robert Ressler--interviewed 36 serial murderers to develop theories and categories of different types of offenders.
Most notably, they developed the idea of the "organized/disorganized dichotomy": Organized crimes are premeditated and carefully planned, so little evidence is found at the scene. Organized criminals, according to the classification scheme, are antisocial but know right from wrong, are not insane and show no remorse. Disorganized crimes, in contrast, are not planned, and criminals leave such evidence as fingerprints and blood. Disorganized criminals may be young, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or mentally ill.
Over the past quarter-century, the Behavioral Science Unit has further developed the FBI's profiling process--including refining the organized/disorganized dichotomy into a continuum and developing other classification schemes.
"The basic premise is that behavior reflects personality," explains retired FBI agent Gregg McCrary. In a homicide case, for example, FBI agents glean insight into personality through questions about the murderer's behavior at four crime phases:
* Antecedent: What fantasy or plan, or both, did the murderer have in place before the act? What triggered the murderer to act some days and not others?
* Method and manner: What type of victim or victims did the murderer select? What was the method and manner of murder: shooting, stabbing, strangulation or something else?
* Body disposal: Did the murder and body disposal take place all at one scene, or multiple scenes?
* Postoffense behavior: Is the murderer trying to inject himself into the investigation by reacting to media reports or contacting investigators?

[Curious2]

In regards to did she run away....

Answers to the following would have to be determined....was she happy at home?
did she get along with her parents?
how was her behavior at school?
was she pregnant? did she have a boyfriend how was that relationship?

For some reason...and not knowing any of these answers (expect people have said she wasn't pregnant)...I dismiss the runaway theory.......but I have no solid reason's why...

The notes clearly indicate unhappiness to something...but then she writes to her parents she is going to the grandparents later in the day. The note in the locker I tend to dismiss as an adolescent girl writing things down to express herself almost like a diary.

still thinking...

[believe09]

bumping my cousin...

[Curious2]

still thinking it's a local..........maybe she came across something unusual, something weird taking place on this country road which set off a rage or perversion in the other person and she fell into harms way?

believe...I take it you don't live in townsend is why you haven't said where vintage pond road is? (thinking this is the road where the grand parents lived)

no biggie I am off from work today and am gonna try my gps from the center and see where it is...

[hmg]

Not of much use probably but I came across this article today randomly and didn't think it had been previously posted here. I have no clue why this was posted in an Illinois newspaper. http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2004/06/27/main/archive-623938215024.txt

On a separate note Angelo Puglisi was taken from Lawrence, MA not Boston, MA. I was driving from Lawrence the other day and drove through Towsend. It's about an hour drive.

[hmg]

On August 20th, Deborah's LE contact information and her DNA status (available in CODIS) was updated on the Doe Network.

[monkalup]

Found this older article

QUIMBY SEARCHERS `OPTIMISTIC'
Article from: The Boston Globe Article date: July 9, 2004 Author: Jack Encarnacao, Globe correspondent More results for: Deborah Quimby

Authorities say they think the remains of Deborah Quimby, who was last seen riding a bicycle near Walker Pond in Townsend in 1977, could be found today in the mud at the base of the drained pond.

Consulting and construction companies recently offered the free use of equipment, which will allow excavation crews to begin digging and screening mud early today, said Townsend Police Sergeant Travis Rixford. Preliminary analysis of the mud by a forensic anthropologist indicated that a full body could be preserved there, he said.

"A body could very well be intact," Rixford said. "We're feeling optimistic."

Two dogs trained to find remains have shown strong interest in a northeast section of the pond, about 30 feet from shore, where investigators think a body may lie under 5 to 10 feet of mud, according to Patrick Hannon, owner of Newton-based Massachusetts Environmental Associates, whose company is helping with the digging and has offered the use of some equipment.

Hannon said excavation at Walker Pond was set to begin yesterday until it was postponed due to concerns that the crane might tip over on the unstable mud. Extra supports were being laid down to ensure that digging can begin today, he said.

"Everyone is so convinced there's a whole body here," he said.

Hannon lent assistance after Police Chief Erving Marshall called off the investigation late last month, citing hazardous conditions encountered by rescuers.

Hannon said his interest was piqued by Marshall's appearance on television news explaining that Townsend police had run out of options in the search for Quimby, who was 13 when she disappeared.

"My father said successful people have a moral obligation to help," Hannon said, "and that's kind of stuck with me."

Representatives from another of Hannon's companies, Global Environmental Strategies of Newton, met with Marshall about two weeks ago and offered equipment such as off-road trucks to help in the search, free of charge.

"He was kind of shocked," Hannon said.

Marshall did not return calls seeking comment, but he told the Townsend Times last week that Hannon's offer was "the answer to our prayers."

Hannon then sought assistance from Stephen Barlow, chief operating officer of J.F. White Contracting of Framingham, who provided a crane.

"It's obviously a heart-wrenching thing for the family and the town doesn't have the resources, so we figured we'd lend a hand," Barlow said.

Barlow said he also sought help from trucking companies that donated vehicles and from the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 4 of Medway, which donated an equipment operator.

"Everybody kind of pulled together," he said.

Officials resumed draining the pond on Tuesday. Last month, investigators found remnants of a bicycle, some fabric, and two buttons in Walker Pond, which authorities began searching after receiving anonymous letters that said Quimby could be found there.

Quimby, who disappeared May 3, 1977, was last seen riding a brown boy's bicycle to her grandparents' house near the pond.

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-7857437.html

[monkalup]

Found this older article

Letters to police prompt Mass. pond searches,: Girl disappeared in area in 1977
Article from: Sunday Gazette-Mail Article date: June 27, 2004 Author: Jay Lindsay More results for: Deborah Quimby

TOWNSEND, Mass. - The rural road that wanders past Walker Pond was the last place 13-year-old Deborah Ann Quimby was seen, pedaling her bicycle as she headed for a quiet place to think.

That was 27 years ago, and the decades since produced few leads. But anonymous letters sent to police in recent years have revived the long-dormant case.

This past week, police drained Walker Pond, then searched the muddy bottom for Deborah's remains, after the letters promised answers there.

The search, the second at the pond in two years, yielded a few articles of clothing and an old bike. But authorities don't know yet if the items are major clues because the pond was used as a dump until the late 1970s and holds all manner of junk.

Deborah's parents are grateful for the renewed effort to find their daughter, who would be 40 now.

"We hope that some of that turns into finding our daughter and puts an end to this," said Richard "Jake" Quimby. "We just want an end to it."

Deborah left home for her grandfather's campsite across town on May 3, 1977, riding a brown, boy's model 10-speed bike. A friend who accompanied her for a short time was the last person who saw her.

Quimby left a note for her parents, telling them she had "some issues" to deal with, but would phone later that day. The call never came.

Sheila Brown, who works at the town library, remembered people in this New Hampshire border town of about 9,200 inhabitants mobilizing to search for the teen and keeping closer watch on their own kids.

"There was a lot of frenzy going on," she said. "You've got a thousand and one different questions, and nobody has any answers."

The case grew stale over the years until November 2002, when police received an anonymous letter pointing them to Walker Pond. A search with sonar in May 2003 turned up nothing. A second letter sent exactly a year after the first urged police to look closer, prompting this year's search.

This time, police drained the pond about 20 to 30 feet from the original shoreline, focusing their attention on the pond's northwest corner.

Deborah, shown with long brown hair and a freckled nose in Internet "Missing" posters, is listed as a "non family abduction" by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Jake Quimby rejects theories that his daughter was taken by strangers and has said he thought Deborah might have been meeting someone she knew.

"When she left, it seemed like she had a destination in mind," he said. "To me, that's not being snatched."

Any number of scenarios have passed through his mind in the past 27 years.

"Your mind just naturally tries to piece things together," he said at a police news conference. He and Deborah's mother, Anne Quimby, declined to be interviewed.

Last week, the pond's newly exposed shoreline, dotted with old tires, had small orange flags sticking up from the deep brown muck where clothing and bike parts were found.

Police were initially unable to determine if the bike parts matched Deborah's, and sent the bike and clothing to a lab for analysis. The police chief said he wants to reinterview eight to 10 people who were considered "persons of interest" when Deborah disappeared.

Police won't say if the letters indicate the writer is the suspect or just someone with knowledge of the case. Sgt. Travis Rixford said the letter writer had a good grasp of Townsend's geography.

"I feel very strongly about the letters," Rixford said. "They're somewhat specific."

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-14747713.html

[monkalup]

Found this older article

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-7851959.html
GLIMMER OF HOPE' IN '77 MISSING GIRL CASE PIECES OF FABRIC, BUTTONS, BIKE ARE PULLED FROM POND
Article from: The Boston Globe Article date: June 23, 2004 Author: Katie Nelson, Globe Correspondent More results for: Deborah Quimby

TOWNSEND Remnants of a bicycle, some fabric, and two buttons the most promising clues yet to the 1977 disappearance of 13-year-old Deborah Ann Quimby have been raked from the bottom of Walker Pond, Police Chief Erving Marshall Jr. said yesterday.

Police found the items Saturday but are awaiting scientific tests to determine if they belonged to Deborah, Marshall said.

Deborah's parents, Ann and Richard "Jake" Quimby, attended the news conference and again asked for answers to the decades of questions.

"For 27 years, my family has been in a lot of pain," Ann Quimby said.

"We're begging, if you know anything, let us know," Deborah's mother added.

The Quimbys said Saturday's findings offered a "glimmer of hope" that they would find out what happened to their daughter.

She was last seen riding a boy's 10-speed bicycle on a wooded Townsend road.

She was wearing a multicolored shirt, blue jeans, and a royal blue Pop Warner jacket.

Police also are attempting to locate and question eight to 10 "people of interest," who lived in the area when Quimby vanished, Marshall said.

The pieces of a bike frame, denim cloth, and two white buttons were in the murky Walker Pond, which authorities have been draining and combing for clues since June 15.

Two anonymous letters sent to police in north Middlesex County near Groton renewed the search.

Both typed letters, one sent in May 2003 and the other in November 2003, were in handwritten envelopes and directed police to search the spring-fed, 2-acre pond.

They were postmarked from Manchester, N.H., and Worcester, but Marshall said the letters were not necessarily mailed from there.

Even if they were mailed from Townsend, they could have been routed to the larger cities' post offices, then back to the police station's address.

On Thursday, police also found an article of clothing that appeared to be from the mid-1970s in the northwest corner of the pond.

Police dogs had led investigators there during past investigation attempts.

The items found Saturday were unearthed nearby, about 10 inches underground.

They were preserved because they had been buried in silt.

Photos displayed yesterday showed that the bike's color was indistinguishable, and the denim looked like a soft, muddy mass.

The letters and the items found last week are being examined by state and FBI crime-lab analysts.

Local and state police, firefighters, and other investigators have spent several hundred hours pumping millions of gallons of water out of Walker Pond and searching it in recent days, Marshall said.

But if nothing more is found by the end of this week, he said, the search may be suspended.

"Without a specific target area [in or around the pond], the idea of continuing this operation is overwhelming," he said.

[monkalup]

Found this older article

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-118411801.html

Cops hope tipster helps search for girl.(News)
Article from: The Boston Herald Article date: June 19, 2004 Author: Richardson, Franci More results for: Deborah Quimby

Byline: FRANCI RICHARDSON

TOWNSEND - As investigators used sonar technology and a pole camera to search for the remains of a 13-year-old who vanished in 1977, the police chief here pleaded with an anonymous tipster who led them to this pond to tell all.

"What I'm waiting for is for that person to get back to me," said Townsend police Chief Erving Marshall, who was a 23-year-old rookie when Deborah Ann Quimby went missing. "If that person has any more credible information, then I would urge them to reconnect with me."

Marshall received two separate notes from an anonymous writer, urging him to scour Walker Pond, which is about a half-mile from where Quimby was last seen May 3, 1977.

The latest search of the pond by 30 to 40 police, fire and environmental officials began Tuesday - after the receipt of the second letter - and should last through the weekend, Marshall said.

On Thursday, police found an item of clothing under an old tire and rim on land at a remote section of the pond, which used to be a junkyard. Marshall refused to identify the garment, which has been taken to the state crime lab for testing. He said the piece of clothing "could have been from the era when she turned missing."

Quimby was last seen wearing a multicolored shirt, blue jeans and a blue Pop Warner jacket with "Debbie" on the sleeve.

Police focused on the location where the item was discovered also because it had four times attracted the attention of cadaver-sniffing dogs this week.

"I remain cautiously optimistic at this time," Marshall said of the recovery.

Many residents throughout the town couldn't help but hope for an end to the mystery of what happened to Deborah Ann, especially for her family.

"The family and town want closure," said Nellie Minor, who is 60 and has lived four houses down from Walker Pond since she was 3. "I just think it's sad how they have to do it."

Charles Rossbach's daughter, Cindy, was 10 when Deborah Ann disappeared.

"I was thinking (then) that it could have been my daughter," the 64-year-old dairy farmer said. "There was no reason why it wasn't my daughter. I was just lucky."

Caption: ONGOING SEARCH: Crews continue to scour Walker Pond in Townsend, near where 13-year-old Deborah Ann Quimby was last seen in 1977. The search should continue through the weekend. HERALD PHOTO BY DOUGLAS McFADD

[monkalup]

Found this older article

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-7862033.html
HOPE FADES AS SEARCH FOR MISSING GIRL ENDS
Article from: The Boston Globe Article date: July 23, 2004 More results for: Deborah Quimby

After 38 days of digging and combing the muddy bottom of a local pond, Townsend police ended the search yesterday for the remains of a 13-year-old girl who disappeared 27 years ago. However, officials said the investigation of Deborah Ann Quimby's disappearance is far from over. Police Chief Erving Marshall Jr. said the investigation will continue around the area, "in hopes of someday finding the answers that we are looking for in Walker Pond." Quimby was last seen riding a bicycle in a wooded area near Walker Pond in 1977. Two anonymous letters sent to Middlesex County authorities sparked the search, which started June 15. Marshall said a State Police laboratory analysis of the remnants of a bicycle and fabric raked from the pond produced no leads.

[monkalup]

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-118419792.html
Cops send out dogs for '77 missing case.(News)
Article from: The Boston Herald Article date: June 21, 2004 More results for: Deborah Quimby

Townsend police plan to resume searching a pond today in hopes of resolving a missing-person case dating to 1977. That's when 13-year-old Deborah Ann Quimby was last seen alive.

Authorities stood guard at Walker Pond yesterday but did not search the site, where investigators have confirmed they found an item of clothing after cadaver-sniffing dogs focused on a spot in the pond area. The search was prompted by an anonymous letter.

[monkalup]

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-118363487.html
Police find clothing in search for girl.(News)
Article from: The Boston Herald Article date: June 18, 2004 Author: Richardson, Franci More results for: Deborah Quimby

Byline: FRANCI RICHARDSON

As police followed an anonymous tip to find the body of a 13-year-old girl who vanished in 1977, they reportedly found a piece of clothing as cadaver-sniffing dogs focused on an area of a pond.

Police refused to elaborate on the clothing, but said they would bring in sonar equipment as they drained Walker Pond in an attempt to find the body of Deborah Ann Quimby, WBZ-TV reported.

Quimby disappeared May 3, 1977. She was last seen riding her bicycle about a half-mile from the pond.

Police said they are following a tip they received from an anonymous source that sent two specific letters urging a search of the pond.

When they first received the letter in November 2002, officials dredged the pond, but found nothing. The message in the second letter was "take a closer look," according to the Lowell Sun.

Police were still draining the pond last night, and expected to be done today.

[thefragile7393]

I wonder what the results were on the objects found, if they could be determined if they were hers. My gut seems to tell me this person knew something.

[imamaze]

Deborah Ann Quimby
The Charley Project
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/q/quimby_deborah.html

[imamaze]

Deborah Ann Quimby
http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewChildDetail&caseNum=727916&orgPrefix=NCMC&seqNum=1&caseLang=en_US&searchLang=en_US
National Center For Missing & Exploited Children
Case Type: Endangered Missing
DOB: Oct 9, 1963 Sex: Female
Missing Date: May 3, 1977 Race: White
Age Now: 45 Height: 5'1" (155 cm)
Missing City: TOWNSEND Weight: 120 lbs (54 kg)
Missing State : MA Hair Color: Brown
Missing Country: United States Eye Color: Brown
Case Number: NCMC727916
Circumstances: Deborah's photo is shown age-progressed to 40 years. She was last seen riding her bicycle to her grandmother's home near Townsend, Massachusetts on May 3, 1977.

[Peter J.]

Hi All,
I just found this thread. In regard to where Patti Luce was found; Marlborough, Connecticut is several towns south of the town of Vernon; where Patti and Lisa White were last seen.
www.marlboroughct.net/ (http://www.marlboroughct.net/)

BTW Patti and Lisa knew each other. They were childhood friends and members of the same youth cheerleading team.

Pictures of Lisa and Patti as well as information and links;
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=143252708&albumID=2107066&imageID=22382818 (http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=143252708&albumID=2107066&imageID=22382818)

In regards to Deborah Ann Quimby and the various locations of the missing people under discussion here. I think it is unlikely that her abduction is related to the missing/unsolved murders in Connecticut. But I think it is also important to remember what Ted Bundy told the Green River Killer taskforce when they questioned him on Florida’s death row. I don’t have the exact quote but it was something like this “don’t think for a second that a serial killer will not travel up to 300 miles in a single day, in order to find a victim” So until additional information is available I would not completely rule out the possibility either.

[believe09]

Hi All,
I just found this thread. In regard to where Patti Luce was found; Marlborough, Connecticut is several towns south of the town of Vernon; where Patti and Lisa White were last seen.
www.marlboroughct.net/ (http://www.marlboroughct.net/)

BTW Patti and Lisa knew each other. They were childhood friends and members of the same youth cheerleading team.

Pictures of Lisa and Patti as well as information and links;
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=143252708&albumID=2107066&imageID=22382818 (http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=143252708&albumID=2107066&imageID=22382818)

In regards to Deborah Ann Quimby and the various locations of the missing people under discussion here. I think it is unlikely that her abduction is related to the missing/unsolved murders in Connecticut. But I think it is also important to remember what Ted Bundy told the Green River Killer taskforce when they questioned him on Florida’s death row. I don’t have the exact quote but it was something like this “don’t think for a second that a serial killer will not travel up to 300 miles in a single day, in order to find a victim” So until additional information is available I would not completely rule out the possibility either.

I agree that it is a stretch to consider her a part of the Connecticut group of girls-on the surface it is compelling because of the bicycle aspect and her age.

If you take some time to drive or even Google earth the area, it doesn't appear to have the same kind of access to major roads that the cases in CT seem to have. Now, I am not expert in those cases-HMG and others are much better versed. But these were almost dirt roads back then.

[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 (http://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-level-marketing/prodata-solutions/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.