Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

WHAT HAPPENED TO LAURIE DEPIES?

Lack of physical evidence impedes state’s investigat­ion of woman’s disappeara­nce from parking lot 25 years ago

- ANDY THOMPSON

FOX CROSSING - Mary Wegner has endured some dreadful days in the 25 years since her daughter, Laurie Depies, disappeare­d. But a phone call in the spring of 2011 may have been the worst.

That’s when Wegner learned the horrifying details of suspect Larry DeWayne Hall’s confession to kidnapping the 20-year-old Depies at a Town of Menasha (now Fox Crossing) parking lot, assaulting and killing her before dumping her body in a wooded area.

“What was really harmful was when Larry Hall was talking about what he supposedly did,” Wegner said during a recent interview at a picturesqu­e farmhouse she shares with her husband, Andy Wegner, near Amherst Junction.

“You’re wondering how your daughter can be carefree and happy one minute, and then chloroform­ed and duped, and someone is hurting her.”

Hall’s confession has never been verified by authoritie­s and Depies’ body has not been found, but his words — true or not — have had a lasting impact on Wegner.

“It was very unsettling,” she said.

‘What happened to her?’

Depies’ disappeara­nce continues to be unsettling to Wegner and to Laurie’s father, Mark Depies of Fond du Lac.

Laurie hasn’t been seen or heard from since Aug. 19, 1992. Her financial accounts haven’t been activated and her car remained where she parked it that night in a lot at a Town of Menasha apartment complex.

Her parents are painfully aware of the 25th anniversar­y but aren’t planning an observance. They will be grieving her loss, as they have since 1992.

“It’s pretty much been a blur,” Mark Depies said.

“It almost seems like an impossibil­ity that something can go on that long (without being solved). I told a friend that I may die without getting an answer. That’s a very good possibilit­y.

“I’ve accepted that she’s dead. But the fact remains, what happened?”

Wegner isn’t overly optimistic that Laurie’s disappeara­nce will be solved.

“Maybe someone will get a conscience and fess up,” she said. “Why is it just a blank slate? What happened to her?”

That question has confounded local police and state investigat­ors for decades.

Scant evidence complicate­s investigat­ion

Despite an exhaustive investigat­ion involving a multitude of interviews, out-of-state trips and searches, there is precious little evidence in the Depies case.

What is known is that she worked a shift at the Graffiti store in the Fox River Mall on Aug. 19, 1992, left the store shortly before 10 p.m., walked to the parking lot, got into her 1984 Volkswagen Rabbit and drove to her boyfriend’s apartment.

Her boyfriend — and two friends with him that night — heard the noisy muffler on Depies’ car, but she never made it to the apartment. Police were called later that night, and her parents were informed the next day.

The only solid physical evidence is her car and a drink container found on the roof of the car. Examinatio­ns of the car and the cup didn’t lead to a breakthrou­gh on her whereabout­s.

“There’s nothing to go on,” said Jason Weber, community liaison officer with the Fox Crossing Police Department. “It’s almost like she vanished into thin air. All we have is that people were waiting for her, and she didn’t show up.”

Several years ago — after the retirement of lead detective Michael Krueger — the Wisconsin Department of Justice took charge of the investigat­ion.

“Basically, we pass informatio­n along,” said Weber, one of only two current officers who were on the police force when Depies disappeare­d in 1992. “It’s really hitand-miss, the kind of informatio­n that comes along.”

State officials declined to comment extensivel­y about the investigat­ion.

“The Wisconsin Department of Justice is still actively involved in this investigat­ion and is following all relevant leads that are brought to light,” Johnny Koremenos, director of communicat­ions and public affairs for the DOJ, wrote in an email to USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.

“We encourage anyone with informatio­n about Ms. Depies’ tragic disappeara­nce to come forward.”

The Larry Hall factor

Larry Hall emerged as a suspect in the Depies case after his arrest in the 1993 kidnapping of a 14year-old Illinois girl. That arrest led to a conviction that landed him in prison for life.

During the investigat­ion, police found notes with the words “Lori” and “Fox River” in Hall’s van. Local investigat­ors also determined that Hall attended a Civil War re-enactment in Kaukauna the weekend before Depies disappeare­d.

In November 2010, Hall dropped a bombshell by confessing to kidnapping and killing Depies.

Hall has never been charged with murder, mainly because of a lack of physical evidence to support his confession. Her body has never been found, despite attempts to find her remains at a remote site in south-central Wisconsin. Authoritie­s tried several years ago to bring Hall to Wisconsin so he can show officers where he disposed of Depies’ remains, but the trip didn’t materializ­e.

“You really need more than (a confession) to build a case and to convict somebody,” Weber said. “That’s where the problem lies.”

Weber said Hall remains a suspect but added that there are other potential suspects.

Among those who don’t believe Hall had anything to do with the kidnapping is Mark Depies.

“I’m not buying that much at all,” he said, “especially without a body or anything to go on other than he confessed.

“I still cannot believe that she parked her car and got into Hall’s car — unless he had a gun pointed at her. I think (the real kidnapper) was somebody close to Laurie.”

Despite profound loss, life goes on

Losing a child is an immeasurab­le loss for a parent. Mary Wegner and Mark Depies have felt that sense of loss since they learned of their daughter’s disappeara­nce.

Mark Depies was preparing to go fishing on Aug. 20, but got a 6 a.m. phone call from Laurie’s boyfriend, and he headed to Appleton. It was the beginning of a harrowing ordeal that involved searches and frantic attempts to find out what happened.

“I remember how mind-boggling it was to get a phone call like that,” Mark Depies said.

He isn’t obsessed with finding out who took Laurie that fateful night in 1992.

“I’ve lived this long without the answer, and a whole new set of emotions would come up (if the case was solved). I would get mad again.

“I think you have to move on. Trust me, I think about it often enough, but I don’t dwell on it.”

Mark Depies, who retired about five years ago, prefers to remember Laurie’s endearing qualities, including her easygoing nature and her sense of adventure.

”She was spontaneou­s,” he said. “That was Laurie.”

Wegner also remembers Laurie fondly, saying she was fun to be around, enjoyed working with people, and was strongwill­ed.

“I think about Laurie all the time,” said Wegner, who gets more emotional on Sept. 19 (Laurie’s birthday) than she does on Aug. 19 (the date she went missing).

Wegner retired with her husband in 1997. She loves the serenity and the scenery of her rural home. And Laurie is never far from her mind.

“You just carry on,” she said softly.

 ?? WM. GLASHEEN / USA TODAY NETWORK-WISCONSIN ?? Mary Wegner, Laurie Depies' mother (left photo), looks through photos of her missing daughter at her farmhouse near Amherst Junction. Laurie Depies (right photo) is shown at High Cliff State Park in October 1991. Depies vanished from a Town of Menasha...
WM. GLASHEEN / USA TODAY NETWORK-WISCONSIN Mary Wegner, Laurie Depies' mother (left photo), looks through photos of her missing daughter at her farmhouse near Amherst Junction. Laurie Depies (right photo) is shown at High Cliff State Park in October 1991. Depies vanished from a Town of Menasha...
 ??  ?? Hall
Hall
 ?? SUBMITTED PHOTO ?? The only physical evidence police have in the 25-year-old disappeara­nce of Laurie Depies is shown in this photo taken in August 1992. It shows Depies' Volkswagen Rabbit and a partially filled soda cup on the roof. The night before, Depies had pulled...
SUBMITTED PHOTO The only physical evidence police have in the 25-year-old disappeara­nce of Laurie Depies is shown in this photo taken in August 1992. It shows Depies' Volkswagen Rabbit and a partially filled soda cup on the roof. The night before, Depies had pulled...
 ?? DAN POWERS/USA TODAY NETWORK-WISCONSIN ?? Former Lt. Mike Krueger of the Town of Menasha Police Department displays a black-penciled artist sketch completed about one week after Laurie Depies disappeare­d in 1992.
DAN POWERS/USA TODAY NETWORK-WISCONSIN Former Lt. Mike Krueger of the Town of Menasha Police Department displays a black-penciled artist sketch completed about one week after Laurie Depies disappeare­d in 1992.

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