TX TX - Deanna Merryfield, 13, Killeen, 22 July 1990 - #3

[Kat]

http://www.centraltexasyouthservices...cy_shelter.htm

Bell County

OPTION HOUSE is a 15-bed emergency shelter for children and youth ages 3-17 years. Central Texas Youth Services has been operating Option House since 1977 providing the following services at no cost to the child, youth, or their family:...

The above is located in Killeen.

There are quite a few others as well. Just couldn't find a date indicating when they were operating and if it falls within the time range for Deanna.

I do think that this is an avenue that needs to be explored. It would especially help if the missing persons department of KPD would have a look. They might get more answers more easily than any of us. JMHO

[Julessleuther]

My only question about foster care, is why wouldn't they also place Bekki and Missie in foster care to protect them from Roy? Why just Deanna? Same thing with some kind of juvenile confinement for the sake of protection. If she were in juvenile confinement, it would have been because she did something wrong, IMO. If that is the case, when she was released, she may have been embarrassed to come home, or felt noone from the family loved her anymore. This case reminds me in a way of Rose Cole's situation...she too fell through the cracks because her parents had family problems...

I think Deanna is alive and well, but is either embarrassed or afraid to come back home. Many years have passed, and perhaps thinking about the past brings up many bad memories for her. Missie and her sisters have to show Deanna that they love her no matter what, and that they can/will create new memories!!

Originally Posted by Kat

Also, let's float the idea that Deanna was placed in foster care...could that have been possible? If so, wouldn't that require notification of her guardians? TIA

[elepher50]

Originally Posted by Julessleuther

My only question about foster care, is why wouldn't they also place Bekki and Missie in foster care to protect them from Roy? Why just Deanna? Same thing with some kind of juvenile confinement for the sake of protection. If she were in juvenile confinement, it would have been because she did something wrong, IMO. If that is the case, when she was released, she may have been embarrassed to come home, or felt noone from the family loved her anymore. This case reminds me in a way of Rose Cole's situation...she too fell through the cracks because her parents had family problems...

I think Deanna is alive and well, but is either embarrassed or afraid to come back home. Many years have passed, and perhaps thinking about the past brings up many bad memories for her. Missie and her sisters have to show Deanna that they love her no matter what, and that they can/will create new memories!!

Hi JulesSleuther, I believe it was only Deanna who needed protection from Roy. The charges that were brought against Roy were from the information that came from Deanna not Bekki nor Missie. Neither Bekki nor Missie were directly in harms way so to speak from the background history I have collected from here at WS thread. I need to go back and review but believe the charges against Roy were not that long before Deanna went missing - I will check the facts on this in a bit.

It is encouraging to me that there was a sighting in 1995.

There is a lot of love that Deanna can get from Missie and her sisters if she can only be found - these girls have been looking for their sister for a long time. The love oozes from MissieMt and all the effort she and her sisters have put into finding Deanna - Deanna is very lucky to have sisters who deeply care about her.

[Julessleuther]

I see your point, but once a SO, always one, so why not protect other potential victims. I thought there was a restraining order, and that is why the other girls went to live with other family. Missie has a point, why not tell the other girls something like..."If you don't behave you will wind up in the same place as Deanna"...Who knows. There is so many what if's with this situation. I really do wonder if Missies mom did know more than she said. She did not seem concerned about Deanna's disappearance. Was she Missie?

Originally Posted by elepher50

Hi JulesSleuther, I believe it was only Deanna who needed protection from Roy. The charges that were brought against Roy were from the information that came from Deanna not Bekki nor Missie. Neither Bekki nor Missie were directly in harms way so to speak from the background history I have collected from here at WS thread. I need to go back and review but believe the charges against Roy were not that long before Deanna went missing - I will check the facts on this in a bit.

It is encouraging to me that there was a sighting in 1995.

There is a lot of love that Deanna can get from Missie and her sisters if she can only be found - these girls have been looking for their sister for a long time. The love oozes from MissieMt and all the effort she and her sisters have put into finding Deanna - Deanna is very lucky to have sisters who deeply care about her.

[Julessleuther]

Ok--I have searched the traffic court records from Tarrant County (where Hurst, TX is located) and the records do go back past 1995, and nothing comes up under her name. I also searched marriage and property records. Missie--I have a ?? for you...

I know that another of your sisters lived in Hurst, TX, as we had previously discussed (I found her marriage record for Tarrant County too). Is there ANY chance that Sgt D. is getting her mixed up with Deanna? It just seems a coincidence that two of your sisters lived in the same town around the same time period five yrs after Deanna went missing....


I was doing some other searches and found a Deanna Maryfield around the same age in Grand Prairie, TX, and a Rebecca Maryfield in Wylie, TX.

Maybe she changed her name? Maryfield, Merrifield?

Also, I have to go back through the posts, but Missie, didn't you say that there were two possible incidents in or near Hurst, but one of them was eventually determined to be a fraud by a known local criminal? If so, is there a possibility that both are?

Missie--I am looking through the old threads and in the beginning, you said that you spoke to one of her sisters, and she had last attended Fairway Middle School. When you check with the school, make sure you check both schools, or just talk to the district office. Also, where did you get her social security number from? Are you certain that is her number?

[Julessleuther]

Link to 1st thread:

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sho...nna+Merryfield

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sho...nna+Merryfield

[MissieMt]

Jules I have always felt that our Mom seemed like she didn't care because she was an alcoholic and that made her apathetic (an extremely common symptom of alcoholism).
As far as the older sister living in tarrant county, I could be wrong but I remember her moving to that area around 96-97.

[The_Woof]

Originally Posted by MissieMt

Woof, maybe you would know:
If Deanna were in some type of center, wouldn't her guardian have to pay for her to be there? I know juvenile detention centers are considered "free" but that is for kids who are in trouble with LE. She wasn't.
As far as a youth shelter, I don't remember there being any but that was a long time ago.

I was thinking more of a less official place, where kids could go.

[The_Woof]

Originally Posted by Kat

Another question about TDY please?

If Deanna had been placed in the TDY system doesn't that require a court hearing? She would have been placed by certain criteria correct? (meaning in my mind: an offense committed?) If so, even if the TDY records were purged then wouldn't there be record within the county in which she was sentenced to TDY?

TIA for answering my questions!

She would have been a minor and the record would be sealed.

[The_Woof]

Originally Posted by Kat

Also, let's float the idea that Deanna was placed in foster care...could that have been possible? If so, wouldn't that require notification of her guardians? TIA

Here mother would have had to have known. There would be a record in family court of the case, under mom's name. However, I think Missie's sister has viewed the CPS file and it doesn't mention she was removed.

ETA that CPS would have removed all of the children in the home if they removed one. That only recently changed in TX. However, from what Missie has said, it sounds as if they were placed out voluntarily by the mother.

[Julessleuther]

Ok--that is what I found too, 96-97. I am just wondering if "someone" got your sister mixed up with Deanna in Hurst...

Are you still on Skipper Smith's myspace? His last login is 6/23/09, so he must have access to the internet...

Ok--I just progressed enough in the old posts to see where you posted that Manor was the last school she attended.

Also, in reading the old posts, I saw a post that Deanna had broken her arm? That was new to me, I do not remember reading that before...

Also, what is the status for a website for Deanna? I can help you if you'd like...

Originally Posted by MissieMt

Jules I have always felt that our Mom seemed like she didn't care because she was an alcoholic and that made her apathetic (an extremely common symptom of alcoholism).
As far as the older sister living in tarrant county, I could be wrong but I remember her moving to that area around 96-97.

[Julessleuther]

Ok--I am ancestry.com again and searching marriage records for a Deanna M with her birthdate, and a few came up interesting...

There is a Deanna Garcia who was married in March 9, 1992 at age 15 to a Ruben G Pena. Her age year is 1977, his is 1972. They were married in Montgomery County, TX. They later divorced in Dec 17, 1997 (they had two children)

There is also a Deanna M Higgins who married on Aug 28, 92 at age 15 to a Ralph K Clark III (birth yr approx 1974) in Dallas County. They divorced April 13, 2000.

This same Deanna married Johny R Read(birth year 1962) on May 21, 2000 in Ellis County.

There are a number of other Deanna M's with a birth year of 1977 listed, I will put into a word doc. ...For some reason it will not let me post the doc. Hmmm

[Julessleuther]

Here is the word doc on Deanna M's in TX, born 1977 who married and or divorced...

[Julessleuther]

Ok--I went through this list and the only one that popped out at me was the first name: Deanna C Johnson

She married a Ronald K Hicks on Aug 23, 1994 in Floyd County, KY Her birth year is 1977 on the marriage license, but not the exact date.

Originally Posted by Salem

So we should try to take these names and see if we can find marriage certs for them? Is that how we should move forward here?

You guys are doing awesome work and I am happy to see this renewed interest in Deanna's case.

Salem

[MissieMt]

Originally Posted by The_Woof

She would have been a minor and the record would be sealed.

I'm not sure how records being sealed goes. If it was sealed does that mean even Sgt.D wouldn't be able to see it? Would it just not show up in any type of search he did?

[MissieMt]

Originally Posted by Julessleuther

Ok--that is what I found too, 96-97. I am just wondering if "someone" got your sister mixed up with Deanna in Hurst...

Are you still on Skipper Smith's myspace? His last login is 6/23/09, so he must have access to the internet...

Ok--I just progressed enough in the old posts to see where you posted that Manor was the last school she attended.

Also, in reading the old posts, I saw a post that Deanna had broken her arm? That was new to me, I do not remember reading that before...

Also, what is the status for a website for Deanna? I can help you if you'd like...

I think Skipper's girlfriend/wife is the one updating his page.

I haven't made a website for Deanna, I have no earthly idea where to even begin.

We were all placed out of the home when the allegations began. IIRC we had to be out of the home for at least 6 mos.

[elepher50]

Are you still on Skipper Smith's myspace? His last login is 6/23/09, so he must have access to the internet...

JS: I thought Skipper's last name was White?

[The_Woof]

Originally Posted by MissieMt

I'm not sure how records being sealed goes. If it was sealed does that mean even Sgt.D wouldn't be able to see it? Would it just not show up in any type of search he did?

I'm not really sure, I'm sorry.

[elepher50]

In Texas it looks like the juvenile records would not automatically come up on a search by LE: reference http://www.tyc.state.tx.us/programs/...e_records.html

It also looks like delinquent conduct could apply if a child is not willfully returning to their home:

b) Conduct indicating a need for supervision is:
(1) subject to Subsection (f), conduct, other than a
traffic offense, that violates:
(A) the penal laws of this state of the grade of
misdemeanor that are punishable by fine only; or
(B) the penal ordinances of any political
subdivision of this state;
(2) the absence of a child on 10 or more days or parts
of days within a six-month period in the same school year or on
three or more days or parts of days within a four-week period from
school;
(3) the voluntary absence of a child from the child's
home without the consent of the child's parent or guardian for a
substantial length of time or without intent to return;

Reference: http://law.onecle.com/texas/family/51.03.00.html

Whether any of this applied to Deanna - don't know but it may be possible.

[Julessleuther]

Opps, you are right, it is Skipper White---don't know why I was thinking Smith.

Originally Posted by elepher50

JS: I thought Skipper's last name was White?

[elepher50]

An excel sheet which shows all the Deanna M.'s who were married in Texas around the time that Deanna went missing. These were taken from the public marriage records of Texas from the years 1990 to 2000 inclusive. A zip file from each year was downloaded, unzipped, then all years were combined into one wordpad file. Further work done was to extract all the Deanna M.'s from the wordpad file and place them into an Excel file which is the result of this file attached. Some of the records x-link with the list that JulesSleuther has just recently posted. With both sources of information, we may be able to get a better picture or at least come up with some leads we can follow to try and find Deanna.

Here is the source site for that was used for the production of the Deanna M. file: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/vs/marri...ce/mindex.shtm

ETA: Won't let me upload the file ... hmmmmmmmmmm
ETA: Did snapshot of the file

[elepher50]

Do we need to check into this a bit further - this is NOT Deanna's friend Skip(per) White however, could this person be related to her friend. The age of the victim was 12 and the offense was sexual assault of a child. This guy goes by a couple of different aliases one of which is Skip White -also known as Gary Baldwin. This guy was born in 1952 and there appears to be conflicting information as to whether he was incarcerated or not and whether he is mappable(at least to me). Can somebody take a minute to see if you can determine if this guy was/is imprisioned and for how long. Here are the two sources of infomation:

http://search.criminalcheck.com/PDde...E,SKIP</a></td

http://www.familywatchdog.us/ViewOff...50B}&sp=1&nm=1

Is any of this related to Deanna - don't know - this happened in 1988 so the information is sketchy unless we can dig up some further information.

ETA: This guy is listed on the Texas Offender Registry

[The_Woof]

Originally Posted by elepher50

Do we need to check into this a bit further - this is NOT Deanna's friend Skip(per) White however, could this person be related to her friend. The age of the victim was 12 and the offense was sexual assault of a child. This guy goes by a couple of different aliases one of which is Skip White -also known as Gary Baldwin. This guy was born in 1952 and there appears to be conflicting information as to whether he was incarcerated or not and whether he is mappable(at least to me). Can somebody take a minute to see if you can determine if this guy was/is imprisioned and for how long. Here are the two sources of infomation:

http://search.criminalcheck.com/PDde...E,SKIP</a></td


http://www.familywatchdog.us/ViewOff...50B}&sp=1&nm=1

Is any of this related to Deanna - don't know - this happened in 1988 so the information is sketchy unless we can dig up some further information.

ETA: This guy is listed on the Texas Offender Registry

https://records.txdps.state.tx.us/DP...earchType=Name

He's on parole right now. He got 20 years in 1988. Assuming he only did 1/3 of that, he would have been released on parole around 1994.

[The_Woof]

Did Skip White run away from home about the same time Deanna disappeared? Where did he go? Who did he stay with?

Also, I'm searching Skip on Vinelink - is Skip his real first name?

[Kat]

Could be either way I guess woof, but it certainly sounds like a nickname doesn't it?