IL IL - Debbie Fijan, 10, murdered, DuPage Co, 11 Feb 1966 #3

[Cubby]

ETA: Loren F. Schofield has never been officially cleared as the primary suspect in this case. According to MSM and local history research, the prime suspects father was in local politics at the time and supplied the county jail with fresh eggs from his farm. The family history went back to the early settlers in a tight then farming community on what was then the rural outskirts of suburban Chicago.

Both the primary suspect and his wife admit to destroying evidence in this case, *advertiser censored* left in his desk which LS later returned to the school to burnt in the schools incinerator and sometime later his wife admitted to LE she burnt his clothing, presumably the clothing he wore the day Debbie was murdered.

Debbies body was found within view of the primary suspects fathers farm.

DuPage County added this case to their cold case unit after reviewing unsolved cases they deemed solvable.

What has changed since 1966 and how can we at Websleuths help bring justice to this young child and her family who have been waiting almost a half century for Justice.

Much much more in thread one. Worth reading both threads in this cold case awaiting justice after 45 years.

If you have any information that may assist police with this case, please contact the DuPage County Sheriff’s office 630-407-2400.


Those interested in Justice for Debbie Fijan, please join us for the discussion on Debbies unsolved case. Someone knows, and the answers are still out there for Justice for Debbie.

Cubby

Thread #1
Thread #2

 

[Kayo - 55]

Information provided 5/1/2020.

Anything new that you/your relatives care to share Helpful 1? Please help if you can.

 

[Winward1]

Other than being stabbed 19 times, where last seen and found, what are the basic facts of this case? Have the original police reports been obtained by anyone?

 

[Winward1]

I just read one of the early news stories on this case. The fact that it was in the Chicago area, a stabbing of child, and report of a white car possibly being involved jarred a memory from having researched the Percy case.

William Thoresen, who hailed from Kenilworth, I believe was responsible for dozens of murders, including the stabbing of Valerie Percy (and, by default, at least one stabbing murder of a child.) The 54th anniversary of the Percy murder, which occurred in Kenilworth in 1966, is today.

 

[Kayo - 55]

Many tragedies in & around the Chicago area in 1966. Debbie F. in Feb., the 8 student nurses in July, and Valerie Percy in Sept.

TEN LIVES cut short that had so much potential in front of them. Very sad. At least Richard Speck was caught.

 

[Winward1]

Many tragedies in & around the Chicago area in 1966. Debbie F. in Feb., the 8 student nurses in July, and Valerie Percy in Sept.

TEN LIVES cut short that had so much potential in front of them. Very sad. At least Richard Speck was caught.

For sure, and all of the above stabbings.

 

[Helpful1]

Anything new that you/your relatives care to share Helpful 1? Please help if you can.

What exactly are you looking for and why do you feel it will matter. According to DCP, the DNA provided most likely won't be of any help sadly.

 

[Cubby]

What exactly are you looking for and why do you feel it will matter. According to DCP, the DNA provided most likely won't be of any help sadly.

At least you tried, I appreciate your willingness to submit the dna.

I wonder why they feel dna would likely not help. They collected dna from Debbie's family sometime ago so we can presume dna *is* available for this case.

I'm pretty sure dna found on Debbie could be explained away by contact throughout the school. But what about evidence in storage from LS's car? What about the blood evidence on the clothing collected from Mrs LS? If blood evidence exists on the clothing whose is it?

Seems dna should be able to answer some questions one way or another.

 

[Cubby]

Thinking out loud here. If there is no chance of anyone being prosecuted in this case, what level of evidence would the DPCSO be looking at to consider the case solved and closed?

Or, is there another living suspect who remains silent because that person fears prosecution? There were only three persons in the immediate area of the school who drove white cars and we're questioned by police. At least one of those persons is deceased. I don't know if the janitor is still living and the neighbor who found her has remained silent for 50 plus years AFAIK.

 

[Winward1]

The witness saw a suspect in a car. What did the witness say about what the suspect looked like? What else did he say about the car?

 

[Cubby]

I don't recall anything indicating a witness saw the suspect. The information about the witness came from msm iirc and I was told the same verbally from a detective working the case.

The husband of one of the teachers was on his way home when he drove through the intersection of Fair Oaks Rd and St. Charles Rd. He looked toward the school to see if his wife, a teacher, had left and saw her car was already gone. He told police he saw a person who resembled Debbie and was wearing a coat resembling Debbie coat talking to someone in a white car not far from the school. The witness did not describe the vehicle occupant.

Police determined there were boot prints from the location Debbie was seen in front of the school on the swing set and where the car was seen stopped. The boot prints ended at the point where the white car was seen and where it is presumed Debbie entered this white vehicle.

 

[Kayo - 55]

What exactly are you looking for and why do you feel it will matter. According to DCP, the DNA provided most likely won't be of any help sadly.[/Q

Sooner or Later Your Cousin’s DNA Is Going to Solve a Murder (Published 2019)

The answer to your question H1 should be obvious. I find it hard to believe that DCP? (DPCSO) would feel that "the DNA provided most likely won't be of any help sadly".

 

[Kayo - 55]

What exactly are you looking for and why do you feel it will matter. According to DCP, the DNA provided most likely won't be of any help sadly.[/Q

Sooner or Later Your Cousin’s DNA Is Going to Solve a Murder (Published 2019)

The answer to your question H1 should be obvious. I find it hard to believe that DCP? (DPCSO) would feel that "the DNA provided most likely won't be of any help sadly".

 

[Kayo - 55]

What exactly are you looking for and why do you feel it will matter. According to DCP, the DNA provided most likely won't be of any help sadly.

Hi everyone,

I am Debbie's nephew (my mother is her sister). Just looked through all this, and I just wanted to say all your efforts are absolutely astounding and much appreciated.

Thank you

The post above from Zachman on 05/28/18 - see page 41
Another reason as to why some of us still "feel it will matter"

 

[Kayo - 55]

I don't recall anything indicating a witness saw the suspect. The information about the witness came from msm iirc and I was told the same verbally from a detective working the case.

The husband of one of the teachers was on his way home when he drove through the intersection of Fair Oaks Rd and St. Charles Rd. He looked toward the school to see if his wife, a teacher, had left and saw her car was already gone. He told police he saw a person who resembled Debbie and was wearing a coat resembling Debbie coat talking to someone in a white car not far from the school. The witness did not describe the vehicle occupant.

Police determined there were boot prints from the location Debbie was seen in front of the school on the swing set and where the car was seen stopped. The boot prints ended at the point where the white car was seen and where it is presumed Debbie entered this white vehicle.

Didn't Loren claim that his wife MAS wore the same boot size as Debbie? Since when is the foot/boot size of a 28/29 yr. old female the same size as a 10 yr. old girl?? Sadly, this "evidence" was not admissible (see below).

https://digitalcommons.law.villanova.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1733&context=vlr

 

[Cubby]

Didn't Loren claim that his wife MAS wore the same boot size as Debbie? Since when is the foot/boot size of a 28/29 yr. old female the same size as a 10 yr. old girl?? Sadly, this "evidence" was not admissible (see below).

https://digitalcommons.law.villanova.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1733&context=vlr

Yes, LS claimed his wife and Debbie wore the same size and style boots. It's possible if Mrs. LS was tiny with a small shoe size. No one has ever said what shoe size and what style boots.

With regards to genetic dna and forensics. I think the majority of solved cases occur when dna exists for an unknown suspect and a family tree is built narrowing a small few as possible suspects, then obtaining dna further narrows it to a single person.

In this case dna from LS could be explained by normal touch transfer in the school setting. That wouldn't pass the without a reasonable doubt test. This case needs evidence that could not be explained away by transfer in the school setting. I would be testing any evidence from the clothing that may have Debbie's blood on it, or anything LS was trying to burn that might have Debbie's blood on it.

Debbie wasn't stabbed 19 times without leaving her dna on her murderer.

 

[Kayo - 55]

At least you tried, I appreciate your willingness to submit the dna.

I wonder why they feel dna would likely not help. They collected dna from Debbie's family sometime ago so we can presume dna *is* available for this case.

I'm pretty sure dna found on Debbie could be explained away by contact throughout the school. But what about evidence in storage from LS's car? What about the blood evidence on the clothing collected from Mrs LS? If blood evidence exists on the clothing whose is it?

Seems dna should be able to answer some questions one way or another.

Dittos on the above, especially "why they feel dna would likely not help" - WH..........AT!! Like you said Cubby, they have Debbie's DNA; I believe from a brush of Debbie's that her Mom provided years ago(??). We know that MAS burned Loren's clothing - "actions speak louder than words". Does anyone know if DPCSO saved/still has Debbie's clothing? Maybe the perp had gloves on(?), but you'd certainly think that there would have been some sort of "transfer" after stabbing Debbie 19 times(?).

 

[Cubby]

I would hope the clothing was still in evidence.

 

[Winward1]

I don't understand the suspicion (at this point) of the suspect who sued for false arrest. Obviously he was highly investigated. And he had grounds for a suit against the county. Meanwhile, the tire tracks at both scenes believed connected to the case matched and obviously they could not connect them to him. The remarks regarding the DNA are strange given it seems no one has made any original case reports public.

 

[Kayo - 55]

I would hope the clothing was still in evidence.

Hopefully, "secured & sealed". I've probably watched too many old "Cold Case" T.V. episodes, with Lily Rush & Scotty Valens; where at the end of a solved case, the bankers box of evidence goes back on the shelf with hundreds of others.

Does anyone know if DPC - Coroner's Reports (FOIA) can be obtained? I'm not really interested in a report, as much as I am whether or not it would be provided. I was already turned down when I requested election results when John S. ran/was re-elected for Highway Commissioner back in the 50's & 60's. Very strange.