TN TN - Nancy Debra Willis, 25, Bradley County, 23 Dec 1986

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little lulu

little lulu

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Debra was last see by her family in Gate City, Virginia on December 23, 1986, as she was visiting for Christmas. She was to return home in Ringgold, Georgia, and her family never heard from her again, which is unusual.

Her right leg was previously fractured in circa eight places from a car accident.

She is listed as from Bradley County Tennessee
 
Really interesting article about her husband:
"Nancy Debra Willis was last seen by her family at the end of December, 1986, during the
Christmas holiday. Nancy had arrived at her mother's home with her children on Friday, December 19, 1986 and spent the first day getting settled in for the holiday festivities . Her husband, Howard Hawk Willis, was supposed to be in Bradley, Tennessee, working on the new home they were building there. Howard and Nancy lived in Ringgold, Georgia, but Howard wanted to re-locate to Tennessee because his family was there. Likely this was allright with Debbie, as it wouldn't distance her much farther from her own family in Virginia.

Nancy Debra Winegar was raised in Yuma, Virginia, which is in Scott County, Virginia. Her older sister Gertrude remembers fondly the years they spent growing up together. "Everyone thought she belonged to me," she says, recalling the close relationship she had with her baby sister Debbie, "She wasn't wild, she never got into any trouble. My husband did shift work so she loved to spend the evening with me and my boys. She would cook. If she wanted to go to the mall and couldn't find someone to go with her, she would take Daddy." Gertrude recalls."
more at link:
http://www.examiner.com/article/nancy-debra-willis-missing-since-1986-1
 
I'm just trying to think of what possible motive Howard could have had for killing the two teenagers. It seems they were friends of his kids'. I'm racking my brain and I really can't think of anything, unless there was perhaps something sexual between him and the girl?

As for Debbie - my interest piqued at the leg fractured in 8 places, because I too badly broke my leg and had to get a metal rod. However, that was in 2005, when the technology was very different than the mid-80s. I would think that Debbie also needed a surgical rod, but in those days, were the rods supposed to be forever or would she have needed to get it looked into at some future point? If so, I would think they could ask around various hospitals, to see if a woman of Debbie's description ever came around looking for medical care. Certainly there can't be that many individuals with surgical rods?
 
Sounds like HHW's mother was quite a piece of work. (The apple doesn't fall from the tree?)

I came across an article from the Atlanta Journal Constitution dated Oct 20, 2002, but it was posted on a message board so I can't link it here. (Maybe someone can find the link through the AJC? )

In the article it mentioned that the young couple had just gotten married in August 2002 and were temporarily living at Betty's house (Emma Elizabeth Hawk, AKA Betty Willis). There was speculation that HHW knew the couple through drugs, but no one knew for sure why they were staying at his mother's house. A local sheriff was quotes as saying that there were pornographic images of the young couple found at Betty's house. He also said that Betty was a terror and that all of the neighbors were afraid of her.

It seems that Betty died in 2009 before she could be tried. (She and her son were great at delaying legal proceedings. )

http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/article.php?id=99172

I hope they eventually find Debbie's body. It could be anywhere in that general region. I also wonder if there are any other murder victims out there that could be linked to Howard. He was a long haul trucker.

I see that there is a thread on him here:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97467
 
"Sister-in-law of Howard Hawk Willis opens up about missing sister"

http://wjhl.com/2015/08/17/exclusive-sister-in-law-of-howard-hawk-willis-opens-up-about-missing-sister/

The family filed a missing persons report in two states.

“Nobody did anything, so the search effort didn’t amount to much,” said Allen.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into years. Allen said, “it’s gone so cold, it’s frozen.”

The ’90’s go by with no word from Debbie or Howard.

But in 2002, the name Howard Hawk Willis became well known across the Tri-Cities.
Click to expand...


img_0210.jpg
 
Article from Jun 21, 2017
[h=1]Newest petition for Howard Hawk Willis set for hearing in 2018[/h]
A short court hearing Wednesday in Jonesborough laid out a long-range plan — nearly two years down the road — to hear the post-conviction appeal in a 15-year-old capital murder case.
Click to expand...
Willis, who is on death row at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, filed his petition in Criminal Court in Jonesborough in April. Within the motion Willis asked for the court to appoint him attorneys in the appeal and to sign a stay of execution. Criminal Court Judge Lisa Rice — following rules and laws by which she is bound in capital cases — assigned the case to the Tennessee Post Conviction Defender’s Office and signed the death stay.

Death penalty cases and the subsequent appeals that follow are governed by state law and rules of appellate procedure.
Click to expand...
The hearing itself will take at least a week, but possibly longer. Rice set the hearing for Nov. 13-20, 2018, with additional days available Feb. 11-14, 2019, if attorneys are unable to present their cases in the November hearing. The defense must have its amended petition filed by Aug. 17, 2018, Rice ordered, and the state must have an answer filed within 30 days.

Here is a short timeline of Willis’ case from conviction until the newest filing:

  • Trial and conviction completed june 21, 2010
  • Motion for new trial denied June 5, 2012.
  • Appeal to Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, Knoxville denied March 13, 2015.
  • Appeal to Tennessee Supreme Court denied July 6, 2016.
  • Petition for rehearing to Tennessee Supreme Court denied Aug. 23, 2016.
  • Appeal to U.S. Supreme Court for writ of certiorari denied March 6, 2017.
Click to expand...
Read more: http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Cou...or-Howard-Hawk-Willis-set-for-hearing-in-2018
 
Could this be Nancy?
The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)

- August 29, 1987 (Dec 1986)
- Roane County, Tennessee (Bradley County, TN)
- 35-50 (25)
- 5’8” (5’3”)
- brown hair; dyed reddish (brown)
- She was found burned/charred

The height is off, but she looks an awful lot like the UID’s recon. (IMO) I’m having trouble with my photo editor, so I can’t upload a photo right now.
 
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