IL IL - Debbie Fijan, 10, DuPage County, 11 Feb 1966 - #1

[Cubby]

I think that's a great idea...And at the least it will get people thinking about the case again (it was my childhood memory of a memorial sign about the Sodder children that got people interested in that disappearance).
If its on private property and at least 4 ft off the roadway, I don't think you'll have any problems.

I hope so... but some of the immediate area's are no yard signs.... so will have to find out what the rules are first.

and then we, my step dad and I will find a beautiful cross to put up for Debbie. I would like something oak, not white... but I don't know how well stained oak will hold up to the weather.... I'd go expensive oak.. but white would be seen better... just what kind of nice wood, if I can.....

I would also like to know where Debbie was found, so the cross could be closer to where she was found, not just the intersection of Fair Oaks and Lies.

 

[Cubby]

I am going to try and put up crosses for both Debbie and Sally.....
If I am going to call and find out, why not honor both of these young girls?

 

[shadowangel]

Wouldn't it be great if the Benjamin School planted a tree and placed a plaque in memory of Debbie? (Just a thought there).

 

[rpipergirl]

I'm thinking there was something in the water in Elmwood Park...I was researching the elementary schools and came across an October, 1957 article in which was detailed the stabbing attack on two girls from the area. Police were checking Elmwood Park elementary schools for a boy, thought to be 13 or 14, with blonde hair, who stabbed the two girls in seperate incidents then rode off on a bike. (My first thought of course was Macek, who was around 9 at the time and had blonde hair....And attended elementary school in Elmwood Park).
However, an article from a few days later (PITAPTV, as Cubby would say) states that the father of one of the girls nabbed the boy (whose last name appears to be "Click".)

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...&pg=2391,275438&dq=elmwood-park+stabbed&hl=en

DAD OF VICTIM GRABS STABBER OF TWO GIRLS
[SIZE=-1]Pay-Per-View - Chicago Tribune - ProQuest Archiver[SIZE=-1] - Oct 18, 1957[/SIZE]
[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]A boy identified as the knifer who stabbed two Elmwood Park girls on Monday was seized yesterday after one of the victims recognized him as he rode his ... [/SIZE]



[SIZE=-1][/SIZE]

Do we know where this boy was when Debbie was killed? I posted earlier that Debbie's wounds were all in an upward motion. That would make sense if it were a young person.

 

[Cubby]

Great idea Shadow... and I will add that to my list making calls...

 

[shadowangel]

Fact of the matter is, I can be a bit of a rabble-rouser when I get my mind around a cause I believe in. Were I in the area, I might find out when the local school board meets. Then, I'd make sure I were in attendance and say something like...

Ladies and gentlemen of the board, its time that this community remembers. Over 40 years ago, this community was touched by an evil. An evil which, to this very day, has not yet met justice. It may help us to sleep at night to forget what occured...To allow the memories to fade into history...But this does nothing for our sense of justice, and worse than that---It dishonors the memory of a little girl who met that evil face to face.
On a cold February night in 1966, Debbie Fijan displayed her school spirit by volunteering to stay late and act as the scorekeeper for an intramural basketball game. We don't know what happened afterward...But by that evening, Debbie would be dead, her young broken body found along a roadway not far from the Benjamin school.
In the aftermath, there were incriminations, accusations, investigations...Distrust...And to this day, the truth of what happened to Debbie that night is still unknown. And that evil was never brought to justice, and may still be among us.
It may be hard for some---most---To remember those events. to think back on the horror that touched this little community. But to deny Debbie our remembrance is to turn our back on a smart young lady who only wanted to help out her school.
We may never know what happened. This is something we may have to live with. But we do know that Debbie had a bright future ahead of her, a future which was denied her. She deserves our thoughts, our prayers, and she deserves to be remembered.
I am asking the board of this school system to provide its support in the construction of a memorial to Debbie on school grounds, outside the very school at which she learned, laughed, and gave of herself.

Can we, those who remember, do any less?

 

[shadowangel]

Do we know where this boy was when Debbie was killed? I posted earlier that Debbie's wounds were all in an upward motion. That would make sense if it were a young person.

Not sure...The info is in a pay to view article, and I'm all pay to view-ed out. I think the Chicago Tribune can probably add a new wing thanks to us by now.

 

[rpipergirl]

LOL,Shadowangel,I like that. I know how frustrating PTV is as I am a genealogist and CT is the worst. AND why in heavens name do they garble the parts they let us see.

 

[Cubby]

Fact of the matter is, I can be a bit of a rabble-rouser when I get my mind around a cause I believe in. Were I in the area, I might find out when the local school board meets. Then, I'd make sure I were in attendance and say something like...

Ladies and gentlemen of the board, its time that this community remembers. Over 40 years ago, this community was touched by an evil. An evil which, to this very day, has not yet met justice. It may help us to sleep at night to forget what occured...To allow the memories to fade into history...But this does nothing for our sense of justice, and worse than that---It dishonors the memory of a little girl who met that evil face to face.
On a cold February night in 1966, Debbie Fijan displayed her school spirit by volunteering to stay late and act as the scorekeeper for an intramural basketball game. We don't know what happened afterward...But by that evening, Debbie would be dead, her young broken body found along a roadway not far from the Benjamin school.
In the aftermath, there were incriminations, accusations, investigations...Distrust...And to this day, the truth of what happened to Debbie that night is still unknown. And that evil was never brought to justice, and may still be among us.
It may be hard for some---most---To remember those events. to think back on the horror that touched this little community. But to deny Debbie our remembrance is to turn our back on a smart young lady who only wanted to help out her school.
We may never know what happened. This is something we may have to live with. But we do know that Debbie had a bright future ahead of her, a future which was denied her. She deserves our thoughts, our prayers, and she deserves to be remembered.
I am asking the board of this school system to provide its support in the construction of a memorial to Debbie on school grounds, outside the very school at which she learned, laughed, and gave of herself.

Can we, those who remember, do any less?

This brought tears to my eyes... and TY Shadow.

District 25 where Debbie went to school is small.. I had never heard of it before this case. I know Carol stream is now district 93.. and I was redirected to another school district when I googled benjamin school.

I would like to ask if I may use your letter. I might hit some walls along my search, but I know I can start with the chamber of commerce in Bloomingdale, John Vertnik ( he said I could post his name) He is a local realtor in the area since 1970.. I know a few others who go back... will try those avenues too....


I think it is time...... and I will pull out every last stick I can fighting for justice for Debbie.

 

[Cubby]

LOL,Shadowangel,I like that. I know how frustrating PTV is as I am a genealogist and CT is the worst. AND why in heavens name do they garble the parts they let us see.

It is garbled so we can remind ourselves we can read. It is the CT's contribution to english as a ??? language...:croc:

I don't know, the whole PTV with a bankrupt ( sp?) paper is just a PTVPITA!

 

[Cubby]

The two following snippets from PTV articles indicate Sally's eyelids were in fact slit. Just wanted to add something to show this was reported outside of Dr. Morrisons book.




Milone v. Althea Camp, 22 F.3d 693 (7th Cir. 04/21/1994)
[SIZE=-1]$2.95 - U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit - VersusLaw[SIZE=-1] - Apr 21, 1994[/SIZE]
[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]... one in the eyelid of each eye, had been symmetrically carved with a sharp .... Likewise, the confessions of Richard Macek are pressed on appeal only as ... [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Related web pages[/SIZE]





United States 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Reports - MILONE v. CAMP,...
[SIZE=-1]Pay-Per-View - United States 7th Circuit Court of... - Loislaw[SIZE=-1] - Apr 21, 1994[/SIZE]
[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]... one in the eyelid of each eye, had been symmetrically carved with a sharp .... 2) Richard Macek confessed to the murder of Sally Kandel several times ... [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]Related web pages[/SIZE]

 

[Cubby]

And another

Illinois Appellate Court Reports - PEOPLE v. MILONE, 43 Ill. App.3d...

[SIZE=-1]Pay-Per-View - Illinois Appellate Court Reports - Loislaw[SIZE=-1] - Nov 12, 1976[/SIZE]
[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]... one in the eyelid of each eye, which had been carved after death with a sharp instrument, and which "were symmetrically placed in an area where they ... [/SIZE]


ETA: This article mentions Milone, because Milone was originally convicted of murdering Sally. It was only many years later Milones conviction was overturned when it was proven Sally was murdered by Richard Otto Macek.

 

[Cubby]

Do we know where this boy was when Debbie was killed? I posted earlier that Debbie's wounds were all in an upward motion. That would make sense if it were a young person.

Macek was about 18 when Debbie was murdered. We do not know where he was at the time.
We don't know if he was incarcerated at the time or not.

hth

 

[Cubby]

For some reason, despite all we know at this point about the case, a grand jury refused to indict Loren Schofield for that murder. My personal belief, and that is all it is, is that there was some piece of evidence which we don't know about---may never have been made public---which swayed the jury's opinion. State's Attorney Hopf, according to my research, was not a man who liked losing. I don't see this man allowing a grand jury to "O.J." him. There must be, I'm convinced, something else which we just don't know.

Respectfully snipped. According to previously linked news articles regarding the grand jury, the main evidence presented was 3 witnesses who testified about Schofields conflicting stories regarding his route home that friday evening.

Here is the link:
http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...,411089&dq=loren+schofield+hopf+witness&hl=en


Of course this is all the media reported. We don't know what other evidence, if any, was presented to the grand jury. Other articles indicated there was little evidence in the case......

Because Schofield was never cleared as a suspect I tend to believe there simply was not enough evidence to indict him at the time. I'm praying technology has caught up and will provide an opportunity to undeniably link Schofield to the case, if he in fact is responsible for Debbies murder.


On the other hand, if he was not involved I hope dna can exclude Schofield as a suspect if someone else was responsible. We don't know if LE has a sample of Schofields dna.

JMO


ETA: This could have been what swayed the Jury:

FIBERS IN CAR, DEBBIE'S BOOTS ARE DIFFERENT

[SIZE=-1]Pay-Per-View - Chicago Tribune - ProQuest Archiver[SIZE=-1] - Mar 19, 1966[/SIZE]
[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]Gary D. McAlvey, state police laboratory technician, said yes- terday that fibers taken from the boots of slain Debbie Fijan, 10, were "entirely different" ... [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]To Jury In Death .[/SIZE][SIZE=-1] - Milwaukee Journal - Google News Archive[/SIZE]

 

[Cubby]

It would be interesting to know if the fibers on Debbies boots match the fibers from the white car Richard Macek was driving at the time of Sally's murder.

I wonder if the state still has the evidence from Sally's case now that Macek is deceased. I know in IL it is law to keep evidence for a murder case 'forever', but I don't know if the state has to keep evidence after the perp is deceased.

 

[rpipergirl]

It would be interesting to know if the fibers on Debbies boots match the fibers from the white car Richard Macek was driving at the time of Sally's murder.

I wonder if the state still has the evidence from Sally's case now that Macek is deceased. I know in IL it is law to keep evidence for a murder case 'forever', but I don't know if the state has to keep evidence after the perp is deceased.

After reading about the carving of the eyelids. :sick: I think the two cases need to be compared by LE. It sounds like he could be really good suspect. JMO

 

[Cubby]

Another site which lists info on Macek: Which has inaccuracies?

This link also states Macek was a native of McHenry when other sources indicate he grew up in Elmwood park.

http://www.crimezzz.net/serialkillers/M/MACEK_richard_o.php

 

[shadowangel]

Another site which lists info on Macek: Which has inaccuracies- argh. This link lists the maid in Wauwatosa WI as having survived her attack, which is incorrect. It was a 20 year old female attacked at a laundry mat in IL who survived her attack and was able to provide LE with information which led to Maceks arrests and convictions.

This link also states Macek was a native of McHenry when other sources indicate he grew up in Elmwood park.

http://www.crimezzz.net/serialkillers/M/MACEK_richard_o.php

As I recall, Macek actually attacked maids in two seperate incidents. One did survive; The other didn't.

 

[shadowangel]

This brought tears to my eyes... and TY Shadow.

District 25 where Debbie went to school is small.. I had never heard of it before this case. I know Carol stream is now district 93.. and I was redirected to another school district when I googled benjamin school.

I would like to ask if I may use your letter. I might hit some walls along my search, but I know I can start with the chamber of commerce in Bloomingdale, John Vertnik ( he said I could post his name) He is a local realtor in the area since 1970.. I know a few others who go back... will try those avenues too....


I think it is time...... and I will pull out every last stick I can fighting for justice for Debbie.

Of course you may. Use whatever you like. and make any changes you feel necessary.

 

[shadowangel]

It would be interesting to know if the fibers on Debbies boots match the fibers from the white car Richard Macek was driving at the time of Sally's murder.

I wonder if the state still has the evidence from Sally's case now that Macek is deceased. I know in IL it is law to keep evidence for a murder case 'forever', but I don't know if the state has to keep evidence after the perp is deceased.

Unfortunately, as far as I can tell Macek was never seriously investigated for Sally's murder until '94. Other than the bite print evidence, I doubt there ever was much collected otherwise.

As I understand "progression" in the methods of a serial killer, the slitting of the eyes follows a pattern of learning, developing. The stab wounds to Debbie's eyes sound as though they were more brutal, more basic. By the time Macek got to Sally, his reason for attacking the eyes was more developed, thus the more--I hate to use the word--"refined" wounding.