Episode 105 Deanna Merryfield

On the night of July 21, 1990, thirteen year old Deanna Merryfield spent much of the night watching movies with her grandmother in Killeen, Texas. After her grandmother went to bed, Deanna snuck out of the house, and at 3:30am, went to see her sister Rebecca who lived with their uncle nearby. Deanna knocked on Rebecca's window and the sisters briefly talked before their uncle woke up and told Deanna that she needed to leave. Deanna had been driven to the house by two men in a Brown or Bronze four door car that Rebecca did not recognize. Deanna left with the two men who were thought to be either Caucasian or Hispanic, and after that, she vanished. 

Hours later, Deanna's grandmother realized that she was missing and reported her missing, but because she was suspected to be a run away by police, there was no investigation started.

In 1992, Rebecca reportedly received a collect phone call from someone who told the operator that her name was Deanna, but when Rebecca accepted the call, the caller had hung up. The call was traced to Kentucky, where Deanna had family, but none of  her relatives there reported seeing Deanna.

During the 2000-2002 time period, there was an unconfirmed sighting of Deanna by a relative of hers who claimed to have encountered her, and that Deanna at the time of the sighting had several tattoos. The information provided by this family member may not be credible. 

At another point over the years, someone contacted police and told them that Deanna had returned home safely. As a result, her case was closed. It was only realized later that the call was to police was inaccurate, and Deanna was still missing, at which point her case was re-opened.

Deanna remains missing to this day. In this episode, Deanna's sister Melissa is our guest. 

At the time of her disappearance, Deanna was described as a White female standing between 5ft and 5ft5, and weighing 108-120 pounds. She had Blonde hair and Hazel eyes. She had a small scar on her upper lip. Deanna if alive today, may or may not have tattoos; including the name “Merryfield” with an unknown date on her neck, a cross with lines on her ankle and a yellow rose with “Texas Born” on her back. There is a DNA sample on file for needed comparisons as per Deanna's NAMUS page

Investigators are interested in identifying and speaking to the two young men Deanna was last seen with. At the time of Deanna's disappearance, the men, possibly brothers, were thought to be White or Hispanic, and their names may be Tony and Rudy Longoria. Police were also seeking a Sylvia Martinez for questioning. 

If you have any information or tips in Deanna's case, please contact the Killeen Police Department at 254-501-8830 or submit a tip on Bell County Crime Stoppers.

To learn more about Deanna's case, or provide information, please check out the website and Facebook page connected to her case. 

To listen to every episode of Missing Persons ad-free and get other benefits, simply  visit our channel page on Apple Podcasts to get started with an AbJack Insider subscription. Of course, you can also support DNA: ID with a Patreon subscription.

Follow us on social media; https://linktr.ee/missingpersonspodcast