Sunday, October 27, 2013

Debbie Makel Murder Part 3

I'm going to apologize for part three taking so long.Its not exactly packed with new information. The old articles I have been using to guide me through this all seem have one thing in common; regardless if the article was written one day, one week, or one year after the incident,they all seem to jump from the events of Friday night's search straight to Sunday morning when Debbie's body was discovered. Little is mentioned about Saturday's search in any article. Although nothing was found,Saturday's search,provides one of the most controversial and oft discussed facts of the case,which we will discuss in Part 4. 


 As it was once told to me by folks who were there, every able bodied man in the area was searching for Debbie. Boy Scouts, firefighters, the State Police, local officials, neighbors, and concerned citizens all joined in the search. One article places the number of searchers at around seven hundred people searching a 3.2 mile radius.Most areas were searched multiple times by different groups.Bloodhounds were brought in to track sent.Road blocks had been set up and vehicles traveling in the area were checked late into the night.

  A command post was set up at the Rices Landing fire hall. The Lady's Auxiliary, as well as other women from the area, provided food for the family and search parties. Almost everyone in the area was somehow involved in the search for Debbie. As far as I know, this was the largest search in the town's history. Seven hundred people, more than the town's population, searched the area for one little girl. People who had lived their entire lives in the town and knew every facet of of its landscape found nothing. We will come back to this.







Since I have posted the first two parts of this blog, several local newspapers have printed articles on the case. While it is good the case is getting new attention, it also sad that other than this blog, a thread on Websleuths.com, and occasional random conversations,the case seems to only be mentioned on a ten year anniversary cycle. One headline touted the case as being "closer to being solved",which is not necessarily true.

A new Trooper has been assigned the case; he is planning, per the article, to follow up on a few 'persons of interest' with DNA testing. For years now, people have wondered why DNA evidence was not introduced into the investigation. DNA testing was not available until the late 1980's and the techniques of evidence preservation have vastly changed in the forty years since the murder. These factors complicate what seems to most folks as a quick solution to the case.

DNA testing, from the way it was explained to me, is similar to fingerprints in that if there is not a sample in the database from a specific person, there will be no match. In other words, if you have never been swabbed for DNA and commit a crime, DNA evidence would be useless unless a sample is collected from you. Some believe that by simply testing a DNA sample, it will give you the identity of the culprit, which is not the case. Another problem with DNA testing in this case is the likelihood that the killer is dead. Forty years is a long time and anyone who was above their mid-thirties back then may be deceased. I seriously doubt a body would be exhumed for DNA testing. However, I suppose it can eliminate more persons of interest and narrow the field of suspects.



As I stated before, I plan on interviewing some folks who were there. People who actually had 'boots on the ground' as the media likes to say nowadays. I will post their thoughts and memories as I get them. I have also been contacted by some folks who were there but wish to remain anonymous. They have plenty to add to this story. We will continue with our fun-loving exploration posts soon but this series of posts is far from over. It will take time to write these posts as I want them to be written, so please be patient.

Before I sign off on part three..a few things. People are welcome to comment on the blog posts and we've received many so far. These comments and opinions are not ours but those of our readers. We will not edit or delete comments unless they are outright inflammatory or name a specific individual as a suspect.

As always, I welcome insight from folks who were there and wish to share memories either publicly or anonymously. You can email us at swpare@gmail.com. Also, if any members of the Makel family wish to contact me in regards to the posts, please do. I have thought about stopping by but wish to respect your privacy. I can be reached at the email address above.

Part Four:

29 comments:

  1. If there is one thing I have learned as a fire investigator it is that some one knows what has happened and eventually shoots there mouth off about it. lets hope its sooner and we do not have to wait 25 years to find out .

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  2. Delilah Phillips JohnsonOctober 29, 2013 at 1:28 AM

    I Have always said this would be a Death Bed Confession

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  3. Thank you for doing this story! It happened before my time, but I always heard about it while growing up. One thing that I heard numerous times (and I hope this isn't offensive, if so I understand if the comment is deleted) is that there was a very large life insurance policy involved. I have never read anything regarding a life insurance policy, so I am not sure where this source came from, but a few people have said they know "for a fact" there was a policy. Then again many people are claiming they know facts about this murder and yet it is still unsolved, so I take everything I hear with a grain of salt.

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  4. I have followed this case for decades & I too have read the latest newspaper articles. I held my nose while reading them but, nevertheless read them. I vehemently believe alot of these published broadstrokes to be hogwash & just a heap of "morally safe" propaganda, just to appease the readers & sympathizers. In my opinion, this case needs & deserves a hard, independent investigation. For 40 long years, this case has been tapdanced around & the time for closure is severely warranted. I absolutely agree with the author, in his opinion of the lack of public support/outcry & HARD, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM for this case & its resolution. I personally believe that, if TRUE, HARD-NOSED reporting were done on this case, it could possibly aid law-enforcement in their quest to finally bringing this horrible mystery to an end.

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  5. There is zero doubt in my mind that, not only did Debbie know & trust her killer but, he also lived in very close proximity to her home. They knew her patterns, her family's patterns & was very thorough with the layout of the area. I believe they chose the place of her makeshift grave simply because they knew that area had already been searched. I also believe that this rape wasnt their maiden voyage & whomever had raped others before but, on this occasion, for whatever reason, they murdered their victim. Many other similar cases statistically show, the fact that whomever covered her body with light debris & left her bright colored clothing plainly visible suggest that, in their twisted mind, they actually felt ashamed & remorseful of what they had done & wanted her to be found, for reasons only they could explain.

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  6. What happened to part 4?

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  7. Part 4 is still in the works.It will be comprised of interviews from folks who were there.Its taking some time to put together.We decided to continue on with other posts in the meantime. Thanks for reading and stay tuned.

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  8. When will part 4 be released?

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  9. debbie is my 1st cousin, her dad duane which is my uncle, and my aunt Charlotte, duanes sister bonnie makel married name bonnie smouse im bonnies son! Anyway i have been told this story a lot, and i dont fathom the fact that most of the facts about what u have said is true, i mean she was sexually assaulted and yes she was murdered brutally murdered, the killer did in deed have to live in the area, this was before my time as well, im only 27 yrs old and i would love to find the man or woman who did this. i cant understand why someone who do such a thing, after all my family does for the community~ The Makel's were very well known and we have a big name in greene county, i just dont understand why they woudl murdered Debby, she was innocent

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  10. Id be curious to hear what story you have been told (alot) Please share.

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  11. Why is part 4 taking so long? I am so disheartened by the fact that this is a 40+ year old case that seems like nobody wants to solve.

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  12. I've been thinking about continuing the post in smaller bites.That way folks don't have to wait so long between posts. I promise posts soon and appreciate everyone's patience.

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  13. Definitely interested in more on this...

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  14. I'm from Brazil, and I became interested much about this case on the theories on the mysteries surrounding this murder, I was not even born at that epoch, but my curiosity about this subject is great in even more to know who did this to she...

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  15. Someone posted a video on YouTube about this case, and a woman who is aware of this case commented saying that her grandmother had met Deborah's grandfather and that SHE was convinced that her was the one that committed the murder. What I would like to know is, was her grandfather a suspect? Did they interview him?

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  16. Is there no way four?

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  17. Part 4 would be a blessing

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  18. I would like to apologize for the lack of updates on this blog post. As the 45th anniversary approaches I plan to continue on with the story. I still have several people who wish to discuss the case, some of whom were there and remember details vividly. Life has gotten busy and Evan and I have not been doing much blogging.I assure you, this story will be continued and updated when I get the chance. Feel free to emaill me at swpare@gmail.com.

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    Replies
    1. I know it has been a year, do you have a part 4?

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  19. Any thoughts on being able to submit the killer's DNA to a site like ancestry.com for a possible connection with a brother, sister, cousin, etc.

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  20. It's 2019 and still no part 4?

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  21. If that person really is a relation to Debbie (the first counsin commenter in this section) then I am getting a feeling for what the family may have been like....banjo playing and Deliverance jump to mind.
    Family members need rechecking.

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  22. Genetic Genealogy. They have DNA, that could solve it.

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    1. Your absolutely right. So many unsolved cases are being solved ttoday, but it cost alot of money everyone wants to say. They need to run it through!

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  23. I'd like to see a part 4 eventually. This case needs to be solved, it doesn't matter how long it's been. This little girl deserves justice.

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  24. 50th Anniversary this October correct? WHY hasn't this case been solved. The people of greene county need to push, why haven't the family pushed and pushed to have it solved. Also what about part 4?

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  25. Coming up on 50 years! How can we get this solved??!!

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