APPLETON, WI (WRN) – Saturday is the 25th anniversary of a young Appleton woman’s disappearance, and investigators still don’t know what exactly happened.
Fox Crossing Police Spokesman Jason Weber says Laurie Depies has been missing longer than she was alive.
Weber says while there have been tips over the years but haven’t had enough information to find who’s guilty. He notes there have been multiple false confessions.
“Presumably it’s for that notority or to get their 15 minutes of fame.”
When it happened, the 20-year-old Depies was on her way to her boyfriend’s apartment from work at the Fox River Mall.
Police said her boyfriend and his friends heard her arrive but she never came inside.
Weber says police received tips through the years but still need to have more concrete evidence to close the case.
“It’s frustrating. The investigator worked relentlessly on this over the course of his career. Unfortunately, he retired without having any resolution.”
Convicted kidnapper Larry Hall claimed in 2011 that he was responsible, telling investigators that he abducted and killed Depies and disposed of the body.
His claim has never been corroborated.
Since the lead investigator retired, the case has been turned over to the Division of Criminal Investigation.
