OH OH - Joanne Hebert, 14, Shawnee Hills, 22 July 1981

On the afternoon of Wednesday July 22, 1981, Joanne Lynn Hebert was last seen by her older brother at their parent’s Delaware County home in Shawnee Hills. Joanne left home on her reddish-orange 10 speed bicycle to buy soda pop at the former Tag’s Market at the intersection of Dublin Road (SR 745) and Glick Road in Delaware County.

Joanne Lynn Hebert was last seen around 5:00 p.m. using a pay telephone at Tag’s Market. When the market closed at 8:00 p.m., Joanne’s bicycle was still parked in front of the market. Sometime after the market had closed for the evening, her bicycle was missing. It is not known whether the bicycle was stolen or taken by the assailant.

Joanne’s family went searching for her when she didn’t return home by 11:00 p.m. on the night of July 22. It wasn’t until 2:00 a.m. on July 23 that Joanne’s family contacted the Delaware County Sheriff’s office to report Joanne’s disappearance.

At around noon on Tuesday September 29, 1981, a squirrel hunter discovered the body of Joanne Lynn Hebert in a wooded area in southeastern Union County, about three miles away from her home. Her body was found a mile south of Mitchell-DeWitt Road near McKitrick Road, near where Franklin, Union, and Delaware Counties meet.

The Union County coroner ruled the cause of death to be a homicide. The victim was beaten on the skull with a blunt instrument and had been raped. The victim was clad only in her blouse and bra, and her Levis were lying next to her body.

No arrests have been made and the murder of 14 year old Joanne Lynn Hebert remains unsolved to this day.


Sources:


Union County, Ohio Sheriff’s Office


http://www.co.union.oh.us/Cold-Case-Files/



Detectives Continue Search For Clue


http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/marysville/news/2010/02/06/0207macold-case1_ln.html

I recently visited the public library at looked at Columbus newspaper articles on microfilm from the early 1980’s about the Joanne Lynn Hebert homicide.

Here’s what the Columbus newspaper articles reported during the early 1980’s about the homicides of Joanne Lynn Hebert.


Columbus Dispatch Thursday October 1, 1981

Body of Missing Delaware Girl Found Near Dublin

The partially decomposed body of Joanne Lynn Hebert, a 14 year old girl missing since July 22, 1981, was found Tuesday September 29, 1981 in southeastern Union County.

Hebert’s body was found in a wooded area by a squirrel hunter around noon Tuesday, about three miles away from her home. Her body was found a mile south of Mitchell-DeWitt Road near McKitrick Road, near where Franklin, Union, and Delaware Counties meet.

Prior to the missing girl’s body being found, the mother of Joanne Lynn Hebert had been insisting to law enforcement authorities for more than two months that her daughter did not run away from their Delaware County home about two miles north of Dublin.

The Delaware County Sheriff said that it appeared that Joanne Lynn Hebert had been severely beaten on the head.

Joanne Lynn Hebert was to have been a freshman at Dublin High School at the start of the school year.

The mother of Joanne Lynn Hebert said her daughter was last seen at their home on the afternoon of Wednesday July 22 by her older brother. Prior to leaving home, Joanne had asked her older brother if he wanted a can of pop. When the brother declined, Joanne left home and rode her reddish-orange 10 speed bicycle to the Tag Market on Dublin Road.

A detective with the Delaware County Sheriff’s office said that Joanne was last seen around 5 p.m. making a telephone call at the market. Her bicycle was still parked in front of the market when it closed at 8:00 p.m., but it has been missing since. The detective also said that detectives don’t know if the bike was stolen or taken by the assailant.

Mrs. Hebert said that when Joanne did not return by 11:00 p.m. on the night of her disappearance, the family went searching for her. It wasn’t until 2:00 a.m. on July 23 that the family called the Delaware County Sheriff’s office to report Joanne Lynn Hebert missing.


Columbus Citizen Journal Friday October 2, 1981

Slain Girl, 14, Seemed Frightened By The World Around Her

She was a frightened little girl, frightened of life, school, and the world around her. But unlike most teenagers, Joanne Lynn Hebert never had a chance to outgrow those fears.

The mother of Joanne Lynn Hebert said that just living in our everyday world frightened their daughter, but tried to keep those fears hidden.

Joanne Lynn Hebert would have been a freshman this year at Dublin High School. But she disappeared on July 22 and hadn’t been heard from since.

Joanne mounted her bike and headed for the Tag Market, which was down the street from where she lived. She was last seen about 5:00 p.m. at the market. Joanne’s bicycle was still at the store when it closed at 8:00 p.m., but had disappeared by the time her family members began looking for her at 11:00 p.m. that evening.

A detective from the Delaware County Sheriff’s office said that it appeared that Joanne Lynn Hebert had been raped. The victim was wearing a purple blouse and bra, but her Levis were lying next to her body. The victim also had several bruises and marks on her head.

Sheriff’s detectives from Delaware and Union Counties interviewed Joanne’s parents and some of her friends on Thursday. Detectives had no leads in the case and Joanne’s bike was still missing.

Joanne’s mother said in a trembling voice that she didn’t know what happened to her daughter as her daughter wouldn’t go near any strangers and wasn’t the type to pick up with strangers.


Columbus Dispatch Friday October 2, 1981

Slain Girl, 14, Knew Her Attacker, Detective Says

A 14 year old girl, whose partially nude body was found Tuesday in Union County, probably knew her assailant and left willingly with him, a detective said.

Joanne Hebert was last seen about 5:00 p.m. at the Tag Market on Dublin Road, where she had rode her bicycle to get some pop.

Detectives said that Joanne Hebert made a telephone call from the store and left her reddish-orange girl’s 10 speed bicycle, which hasn’t been located, in front of the market.

Family and friends of Joanne Lynn Hebert told detectives that the girl would not leave with a stranger. Joanne’s mother said that she doesn’t know who her daughter called on the telephone at the market.

The Union County coroner said that Joanne Lynn Hebert was found nude from the waist down and was probably raped before she was killed. The coroner also said that she had a fractured skull and was probably beaten with a blunt instrument.

A detective from Upper Arlington said that he would review details from the slaying of Joanne Lynn Hebert and compare it to the June 1980 rape-slaying of 8 year old Asenath ‘Seenie’ Dukat, whose skull was crushed by a 20 pound rock.

There is another Central Ohio girl who went missing and was also found murdered in 1981. Her name is Robin Marie Durrer.

The circumstances surrounding the disappearances of Robin Marie Durrer and Joanne Lynn Hebert are eerily similar. Both girls rode 10 speed bicycles and both were last seen at a neighborhood market. Both girls were later found murdered in a wooded area not far from their homes.

Robin Marie Durrer has a thread on Websleuths:


http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...n-Marie-Durrer-19-Reese-Ohio-9-September-1981

nerosleuth said:

There is another Central Ohio girl who went missing and was also found murdered in 1981. Her name is Robin Marie Durrer.

The circumstances surrounding the disappearances of Robin Marie Durrer and Joanne Lynn Hebert are eerily similar. Both girls rode 10 speed bicycles and both were last seen at a neighborhood market. Both girls were later found murdered in a wooded area not far from their homes.

Robin Marie Durrer has a thread on Websleuths:


OH - OH - Robin Durrer, 19, Reese, 9 Sept 1981

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Seems odd both girls killed not that far from each other...and the dates and way they killed...This is so sad.
I tried looking on Find A Grave for Joanne Hebert...I found Robin. Does anyone know where she was laid to rest? Did they find any DNA..??

I guess nobody's looking into this case? Kelly Ann Prosser who was murdered 38 years ago...her case was solved today through DNA...Who's is wonderful news.. Kelly Ann body was found in Madison County near Columbus Ohio...What about Joanna Henry...any DNA..anything?
Does anyone know where she is buried? Are police still looking at anything for this victim? She's from Columbus area too..well not that far...

my phones a mess Joanne Lynn Hebert not Henry

I sat next to Joanne in 8th grade science class. She was killed in the summer after 8th grade. I was just watching ‘Cold Case Files’ on Netflix and the story of Edward Edwards was profiled. He died in Columbus with the world convinced he had committed more murders than anyone knew about. It made me think of Joanne. And now I wonder, if she was raped, they have DNA. Have they tested it? The boy she was dating shortly before she died passed away roughly 30 years ago. They were very similar back then . Both quiet, timid, awkward, soft spoken, shy. Both wore very thick glasses. Such a shame. I think of her all the time and wonder if they will ever find her killer.

Do u know where shes buried? I only hope theyll solve her case like they solved kelly Prossers...

Do u know where shes buried?

Weeping Willow said:

Do u know where shes buried?

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No, I don’t.

DaisyJP said:

I sat next to Joanne in 8th grade science class. She was killed in the summer after 8th grade. I was just watching ‘Cold Case Files’ on Netflix and the story of Edward Edwards was profiled. He died in Columbus with the world convinced he had committed more murders than anyone knew about. It made me think of Joanne. And now I wonder, if she was raped, they have DNA. Have they tested it? The boy she was dating shortly before she died passed away roughly 30 years ago. They were very similar back then . Both quiet, timid, awkward, soft spoken, shy. Both wore very thick glasses. Such a shame. I think of her all the time and wonder if they will ever find her killer.

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I too knew Joanne from 8th grade and didn't live far from her and think of her often. The man she had been dating name was Roger and he didn't wear glasses. (Don't know if she had been keeping him a secret from her parents. He was older and drove) The police actually suspected him for quite sometime and came to talk to me at my house, as he had taken an interest in me and I volunteered to keep hanging out with him to get them any details but it never led to anything. They kept wanting to know if he had black candles and any type of satanic items. I was glad when my parents finally said "No more" as I was starting to get a little freaked out by it all. I don't know where she is buried but I did attend the memorial service for her in Shawnee Hills.

JoelleG said:

I too knew Joanne from 8th grade and didn't live far from her and think of her often. The man she had been dating name was Roger and he didn't wear glasses. (Don't know if she had been keeping him a secret from her parents. He was older and drove) The police actually suspected him for quite sometime and came to talk to me at my house, as he had taken an interest in me and I volunteered to keep hanging out with him to get them any details but it never led to anything. They kept wanting to know if he had black candles and any type of satanic items. I was glad when my parents finally said "No more" as I was starting to get a little freaked out by it all. I don't know where she is buried but I did attend the memorial service for her in Shawnee Hills.

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I remember, in 9th grade after they found her body, some of the kids in the school were saying horrible things "Doesn't matter, she was just a hood." and it made me so sad for her, which is why I think I never forgot her and at the time, wanted to help.

Hi, I am a part of the Mason High School Cold Case Program. Our program focuses on reviewing and investigating cases that have been declared “cold”, and bringing attention back to these cases. I would appreciate it if anyone could give us any information about Joanne or if you have any relation to her. I am flexible when it comes to scheduling a meeting so we will work around your schedule. If I could have some form of email or phone number I would appreciate it if you would like to discuss the case.

Website: Home | William Mason High School Cold Case Program
Email: Coldcase@masonohioschools.com

Sincerely,
MHS Cold Case Team

JoelleG said:

I too knew Joanne from 8th grade and didn't live far from her and think of her often. The man she had been dating name was Roger and he didn't wear glasses. (Don't know if she had been keeping him a secret from her parents. He was older and drove) The police actually suspected him for quite sometime and came to talk to me at my house, as he had taken an interest in me and I volunteered to keep hanging out with him to get them any details but it never led to anything. They kept wanting to know if he had black candles and any type of satanic items. I was glad when my parents finally said "No more" as I was starting to get a little freaked out by it all. I don't know where she is buried but I did attend the memorial service for her in Shawnee Hills.

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JoelleG said:

I remember, in 9th grade after they found her body, some of the kids in the school were saying horrible things "Doesn't matter, she was just a hood." and it made me so sad for her, which is why I think I never forgot her and at the time, wanted to help.

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I knew Joanne quiet well, she was my first friend in the 7th grade at Dublin Middle School. Our 8th grade year, around the last week of school, she took me to the part of the middle school where the younger children got on the bus. She said she had a secret (Joelle, you're right about that. It was a secret because he didn't want anyone to know. I don't think her parents knew, I don't think many people knew) and told me that she was dating Roger. He pulled up in his car and she introduced me, but he was aggravated that I was there. It was supposed to be kept a secret. She kind of dismissed me, I think she was upset that he was upset and was like "okay, you can go". Back in the day, we didn't get out of school for summer break until mid June, she was murdered a month later. I wondered about her going to the payphone to make a call, she had a phone. She wouldn't have gone off with a stranger. The rumer when we returned to school as Freshmen was that she had run away to California. I had thought that was crazy, she never complained about home and looked up to her brother. When they say "She was just a hood", you have to remember this was the time the book "The Outsiders" was really popular and Dublin Middle/High school really tried to play this out in real life. I was in the "hood" group with her. She was funny and always making jokes. Looking at it now as a 55 year old, she was just a baby. I don't know what kind of person Roger was, but she really liked him and was so flattered that he was paying her attention. This case has haunted me for years, it's spoiled my memories of Dublin. It really wasn't a nice, innocent place.