Investigators: Remains Found in Vernon Do Not Match Missing Girls

This article was reported and written by Local Editor Chris Dehnel.

Investigators determined that the human remains found at an old town dump off West Street in Vernon do not belong to three area girls missing for decades.

The three most notable missing persons cases in north central Connecticut are:

• Lisa White, who was 13 when she was last seen in Vernon on Nov. 1, 1974;
• Janice Pockett, who was 7 when she disappeared in Tolland on July 26, 1973; and
• Deborah Spickler, who was last seen in Vernon on July 24, 1968 when she was 13.

In a media briefing Tuesday morning, Vernon Police Lt. William Meier said that none of the DNA samples provide a match in any of the cases.

In a media briefing Tuesday morning, Vernon Police Lt. William Meier said that none of the DNA samples provide a match in any of the cases.

State and local investigators have been working on the Vernon case for the better part of a month, ever since a skull was found next to 126 and 130 West St. by a 23-year-old resident looking for scrap metal to finish a college sculpture project.

Investigators descended upon the scene, a rugged area that was once a town dump that features steep inclines, rocky terrain and a stream. The two homes share a driveway and are set back a considerable distance and down a steep hill from the road.

The bones were found about 200 yards from the homes, police said.

Evidence, and as much of the remains as possible, has been collected and sent to state forensics investigators in hope that they can identify the person. Yet, this task has proven to be difficult.

Meier said the remains do not match any known missing person cases in a national database called the Combined DNA Index System, known as CODIS.

"A check in the CODIS system was negative for a match and therefore, a positive identification was not made as to the identity of the remains," Meier said.

Though a U.S. Justice Department list outlines 184 cases in Connecticut, including many in the area, not all missing persons cases have been reported over the years, Meier said.

Meier said no further information would be released on the investigation "in the immediate future."