A week from today will mark the 17-year anniversary of the disappearance of Debbie Vaughan from Salt Cave Drive in Greers Ferry. She was 37 at the time of the disappearance and was last seen July 24, 1993 after reportedly having a physical argument the day before with her husband, Gerald W. Vaughan, now 56, still of Cleburne County.
Gerald was the center of an investigation by then Sheriff Wayne Milligan and detectives. “He is still considered a person of interest,” said current Sheriff Marty Moss. “But we are looking at all possibilities. We know there are people out there that know something about this case and we would like to hear from them so this family can get some closure.
“I believe it can be solved. This is a very interesting case and has continued to be an open case.”
Detective Phil Burnham said, “We have come up with additional information that is relevant to this case, and, in the eyes of the justice system, it would be best for anyone that knows something to come see us before we have to come see you.”
The story from ’93 is that the Vaughan’s had “been into it” according to Debbie’s mom, Dixie Bowling. Her mother reported one side of her face was red and that her daughter planned on staying at her house in Sherwood the night of July 23, 1993 and go home the next day to pack her belongings and leave her husband. She left her mother’s house around 6 a.m. July 24 and hasn’t been seen since.
In archived Sun-Times stories from ’94, Milligan reported Gerald told him Debbie had called a few days after she reportedly vanished. Gerald said he believed she had left home for a life of wandering. Gerald claimed that during some of Debbie’s previous outings he had heard from her from Montana, Wyoming, and Canada.
Bowling said she knew her daughter had a drinking problem and had been gone before for a few days. She claims even when Debbie was gone for those multi-day events, she would always call or leave a number of where to contact her. This time she never heard from her daughter.
Bowling also claimed in 1994 that any time her daughter was gone for more than two hours, Gerald was always “pounding the pavement and calling to check up on her to find out what she was doing”. That apparently wasn’t the scenario with the latest incident.
Cleburne County authorities were reportedly notified within a few days/ weeks of the disappearance, but since there wasn’t anything to prove any illegal activity took place, an investigation was not conducted at that time. In addition, Bowling was told she needed to contact Sherwood authorities since that was the last place Debbie was known to have been.
It is not clear what transpired from July to when the first “official” missing person report was made/ taken in December of ’93. Bowling reportedly contacted Sherwood authorities in late December to file an official missing person’s report; Cleburne County was notified mid-January of 1994. Bowling said she called police when she became convinced her daughter was dead.
According to archived stories in The Sun-Times, Bowling was convinced Gerald had something to do with Debbie’s disappearance. She reported neighbors noticed activity at the couple’s trailer home in August of 1993 when new carpeting and wallpaper were installed. Bowling claimed Debbie had previously told her they installed new carpet and wallpaper when they moved into the trailer a few months prior. She fully believed blood would be found in the trailer.
Milligan and detectives conducted an investigation, speaking to anyone that had connections to Debbie. No evidence a crime was even committed ever turned up, according to archives.
Throughout the early part of the investigation, Bowling spent about $34,000 hiring psychics, divers, private investigators, and marine services. She believed her daughter was in the lake.
The twists and turns of the ‘Debbie Vaughan is missing story’ almost resemble that of a fierce rollercoaster. Near the beginning of the ordeal, since Bowling fully believed Debbie and her 1980 Chevy Monte Carlo were in Greers Ferry Lake, she hired a psychic to tell her where to have divers search for her body. The first diver died during a dive and the second diver hired later reportedly had a heart attack and died before he could assist.
A couple of months after Cleburne County authorities began their investigation, some of Debbie’s personal belongings were found in the Pine Snag community. Milligan had received a call reporting some of Debbie’s belongings could be found in a junk pile in the south part of the county. “They found clothes, jewelry, makeup, items of her grandfather’s, a sewing machine, and other unusual items that she wouldn’t have just left,” said Moss. “It’s strange that these items were found in Pine Snag and she lived at Greers Ferry.”
Following the property discovery Cleburne County auxiliary deputies, and Pine Snag/ Lobo, Cove Creek/ Pearson, and Quitman fire departments, and Game and Fish, searched the 25 acres of heavy woods. Other than some remains of animals, nothing else was found.
If you have any information on this case, whether you feel it is valuable or not, you are asked to call the Cleburne County Sheriff’s Department at 501-362-8143. “Someone has to know something and after all this time, I hope someone realizes it’s time to come forward and give us the information we need. Do the right thing.”
The cold case story, The Disappearance of Debbie Vaughan, will air on KATV Channel 7 at 10 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.
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A week from today will mark the 17-year anniversary of the disappearance of Debbie Vaughan from Salt Cave Drive in Greers Ferry. She was 37 at the time of the disappearance and was last seen July 24, 1993 after reportedly having a physical argument the day before with her husband, Gerald W. Vaughan, now 56, still of Cleburne County.
Gerald was the center of an investigation by then Sheriff Wayne Milligan and detectives. “He is still considered a person of interest,” said current Sheriff Marty Moss. “But we are looking at all possibilities. We know there are people out there that know something about this case and we would like to hear from them so this family can get some closure.
“I believe it can be solved. This is a very interesting case and has continued to be an open case.”
Detective Phil Burnham said, “We have come up with additional information that is relevant to this case, and, in the eyes of the justice system, it would be best for anyone that knows something to come see us before we have to come see you.”
The story from ’93 is that the Vaughan’s had “been into it” according to Debbie’s mom, Dixie Bowling. Her mother reported one side of her face was red and that her daughter planned on staying at her house in Sherwood the night of July 23, 1993 and go home the next day to pack her belongings and leave her husband. She left her mother’s house around 6 a.m. July 24 and hasn’t been seen since.
In archived Sun-Times stories from ’94, Milligan reported Gerald told him Debbie had called a few days after she reportedly vanished. Gerald said he believed she had left home for a life of wandering. Gerald claimed that during some of Debbie’s previous outings he had heard from her from Montana, Wyoming, and Canada.
Bowling said she knew her daughter had a drinking problem and had been gone before for a few days. She claims even when Debbie was gone for those multi-day events, she would always call or leave a number of where to contact her. This time she never heard from her daughter.
Bowling also claimed in 1994 that any time her daughter was gone for more than two hours, Gerald was always “pounding the pavement and calling to check up on her to find out what she was doing”. That apparently wasn’t the scenario with the latest incident.
Cleburne County authorities were reportedly notified within a few days/ weeks of the disappearance, but since there wasn’t anything to prove any illegal activity took place, an investigation was not conducted at that time. In addition, Bowling was told she needed to contact Sherwood authorities since that was the last place Debbie was known to have been.
It is not clear what transpired from July to when the first “official” missing person report was made/ taken in December of ’93. Bowling reportedly contacted Sherwood authorities in late December to file an official missing person’s report; Cleburne County was notified mid-January of 1994. Bowling said she called police when she became convinced her daughter was dead.
According to archived stories in The Sun-Times, Bowling was convinced Gerald had something to do with Debbie’s disappearance. She reported neighbors noticed activity at the couple’s trailer home in August of 1993 when new carpeting and wallpaper were installed. Bowling claimed Debbie had previously told her they installed new carpet and wallpaper when they moved into the trailer a few months prior. She fully believed blood would be found in the trailer.
Milligan and detectives conducted an investigation, speaking to anyone that had connections to Debbie. No evidence a crime was even committed ever turned up, according to archives.
Throughout the early part of the investigation, Bowling spent about $34,000 hiring psychics, divers, private investigators, and marine services. She believed her daughter was in the lake.
The twists and turns of the ‘Debbie Vaughan is missing story’ almost resemble that of a fierce rollercoaster. Near the beginning of the ordeal, since Bowling fully believed Debbie and her 1980 Chevy Monte Carlo were in Greers Ferry Lake, she hired a psychic to tell her where to have divers search for her body. The first diver died during a dive and the second diver hired later reportedly had a heart attack and died before he could assist.
A couple of months after Cleburne County authorities began their investigation, some of Debbie’s personal belongings were found in the Pine Snag community. Milligan had received a call reporting some of Debbie’s belongings could be found in a junk pile in the south part of the county. “They found clothes, jewelry, makeup, items of her grandfather’s, a sewing machine, and other unusual items that she wouldn’t have just left,” said Moss. “It’s strange that these items were found in Pine Snag and she lived at Greers Ferry.”
Following the property discovery Cleburne County auxiliary deputies, and Pine Snag/ Lobo, Cove Creek/ Pearson, and Quitman fire departments, and Game and Fish, searched the 25 acres of heavy woods. Other than some remains of animals, nothing else was found.
If you have any information on this case, whether you feel it is valuable or not, you are asked to call the Cleburne County Sheriff’s Department at 501-362-8143. “Someone has to know something and after all this time, I hope someone realizes it’s time to come forward and give us the information we need. Do the right thing.”
The cold case story, The Disappearance of Debbie Vaughan, will air on KATV Channel 7 at 10 p.m. Monday and Tuesday.
