Debbie Spickler, Janice Pockett, and Lisa White went missing between 1968 and 1974. They are the Vernon-Tolland Three.
In October 2014, the Tolland County Cold Case Squad was formed to investigate these three cases. After investigating each case as a stand-alone the authorities now look at all three cases as connected. It is a change in tactics that will hopefully bring results fast.
Rewards
Governor Dannel P. Malloy has authorized rewards in each case making the grand total $150,000 for information about Debbie Spickler, Janice Pockett, and Lisa White that will lead to an arrest and conviction of those responsible for these three crimes.
If you have information in any of these three cases please call the cold case squad tip line at 860-870-3228 or use email [email protected] Vernon police can be reached at 860-872-9126 and Connecticut State Police at 860-896-3230.
Deborah “Debbie” Lee Spickler
Debbie (13), from Mystic, was the first girl to disappear. She was visiting family in Vernon. On July 24, 1968, they all went to Henry Park on 120 South Street, in Vernon. Debbie was last seen walking along Foxhill Drive towards the park’s swimming pool. She was wearing green polka dot shorts, a white sleeveless shirt, and white sneakers. She never arrived at the pool. In 2010, her case was added to Namus.
Debbie is white with brown hair and brown eyes, a pockmark on her face, and one of her teeth is chipped. Kindly note that the detail about the chipped tooth comes from the web but is not listed in NamUs. There are no known distinctive body features.
NamUs has her dental records on file as well as her DNA. Debbie’s case number with the Vernon Police is C-3710-68-J.
A $50,000 reward is offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in this case.
The age progressed images gives you an idea what Debbie might look like now. Keep in mind that it is a “best guess” and not a definitive image.
Janice Kathryn Pockett
Janice (7) was last seen on July 26, 1973. She left for a bike ride but never returned home on Anthony Road in Tolland. Her bike was found nearby Rhodes Road next to a wooded area. In 2009, her case was added to NamUs.
A few days earlier Janice had caught a butterfly, left it along the road, and wanted to go see if it was still there. It was the first time her mother allowed her to go out alone.
Janice is white with strawberry blond hair and blue eyes. She has no known distinctive body features. She was wearing navy blue shorts with an American flag emblem and a striped pull-over shirt with blue sneakers the day she vanished. Her dental records are filed with NamUs as well as her DNA.
A $50,000 reward is offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in this case.
The age progressed images gives you an idea what Janice might look like now. Keep in mind that it is a “best guess” and not a definitive image.
Lisa Joy White
Lisa (13) was last seen walking out of a park on Prospect Street into downtown Rockville on the night of Nov. 1, 1974. She had visited a friend and lived just two miles from Prospect.
Lisa is white with strawberry blond hair and blue eyes. She has a small chicken pox mark on her forehead. When she was last seen she wore green pants, tan work boots, and a denim jacket. Her dental records are filed with NamUs as well as her DNA.
I read online that authorities initially treated this as a runaway case. This may have hindered the search. Her sister said in the papers that she loved “acrobatic dancing and cheerleading” but also that she was “no stranger to mischief and perhaps mature beyond her 13 young years. She had a boyfriend. I believe he was 18 at the time. My mother did not approve, obviously.” In 2009, her case was added to NamUs.
Her case number with the Vernon Police is 000000019.
A $50,000 reward is offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in this case.
The age progressed images gives you an idea what Lisa might look like now. Keep in mind that it is a “best guess” and not a definitive image.
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If you do just a cursory search for each of these three girls you will find plenty of articles, blog posts, newspaper articles, and pages. I have not listed all links as all three have a good digital footprint and are easy to find online.
But what isn’t easy is to keep them at the top of people’s news feeds. And that’s where the Connecticut authorities asked for our help.
Please share this post on your social media news feeds.
Let’s help them find answers in the cases of Debbie Spickler, Janice Pockett, and Lisa White!