She explained that Ebby had started a new job, started hanging out with a different crowd, changed schools - all of which she believes led to the rebellion. [4] The security guard notified police and waited approximately 2 hours for an officer to arrive however none did. It was around that time that Laurie said the 18-year-old high school student started to change. In April 2016, volunteers searched for Ebby, beginning in the area near where her car was found and moving toward a wooded area near Markham and Bowman. Im so glad this is becoming standard fare in these subs vs dogs being infallible. Ebbys remains were found on May 22, 2018, a mere 60 feet from where her car had been found two years earlier. And definitely her contacts. It is a shame, because the culprits seem pretty obvious. Sadly, this time Ebbys remains were finally found. Steppach had recently attended a private school, but the following year she attended a government-funded school. One of her favourite places to visit was the beach and while there she would spend hours looking for seashells, which she would often gift to them. Laurie said she later found out that after Ebby disappeared, Trevor spent his lunch hours searching the trunks of abandoned cars for his sister and traveling to other states following up on tips. She never responded to her grandmothers calls, either. LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas The death of Ebby Steppach-- it's a case that has baffled the public and police for several years. They are thankful for the life they got to share with her and ask for continued support and prayers as they work through this difficult time, the statement read. I have seen many comments suggesting that one of the alleged rapists is somehow related to an LRPD officer, who is trying to cover up the crime. It was hard for all of us.. But her family told local media they believed she was in danger. From the very beginning of the missing person investigation, Laurie and Michael Jernigan claim that the LRPD conducted incredibly shoddy work. I have peace knowing neither Ebby or Trevor are alone. For anyone still looking, she is the subject of True Crime Garage's latest episode. They're together. On October 13, 2005, Ebby's car was found in a small residential park, out of gas with the keys in the ignition. Ebbys body was found in a drainpipe in her hometown of Little Rock, AR, and the mystery that still shrouds her death has left an indelible mark of grief on her family and friends, especially Ebbys mother, Laurie. Her decision to transfer schools had come after she began dating a new boyfriend, and while attending this new school she was known to occasionally be truant. Unsure How to Help Your Child Struggling with Obesity? Days before her disappearance, Ebby accused 4 men of raping her at a party and filming it. On November 3, 2015, a friend of Ebbys and her mother went to the park to look around. Just when I thought she had it down, you know, she didnt. The first 2 years with Ebby it was a long time before I could grieve because I was fighting and Trevor happened instantly with no signs. However, where she was on the road has never been publicly released, nor if there was anyone else in the car with her. On the same day, its been reported that two one-minute calls were made from Ebbys cellphone to the Little Rock Police Department. By that time, I just knew in my soul that something was really wrong, Ebbys mother, Laurie Jeringan, told Dateline. Remains found in an underground pipe in a Little Rock park have been confirmed as those of an 18-year-old woman who went missing in 2015. Ebby Jane Steppach had dreams of becoming a cosmetologist. She never responded to her grandmothers calls, either. While the search for Ebbys body ended in 2018, Tommy Hudson, the lead investigator on her case at the time kept working on finding her killer. [13] Upon the arrival of police at the scene, Foley claimed she was "kind of dismissed by [the officers]", who told her the park had been searched with recovery canines who would have picked up on the scent of human decomposition, and assured her it "must be an animal or something". The woman who reported the smell to police felt they had initially shrugged her off, not showing up until an hour after she had first phoned in. "She was very funny, Laurie said. Ebby Steppach's case was discussed in Dr. Phil's show, 'Unsolved Homicide: Who Put Ebby Steppach in the Drainpipe?' Her body was discovered in a drainpipe in Little Rock, Arkansas. She had been dead since the time her car was found three years prior. Andrea Cavallier is a Digital Producer for Dateline NBC. I was like, Ebby thats not safe, dont do that. [4], On October 27, Steppach's 2003 Volkswagen Passat was discovered by a security guard abandoned in a parking lot near a wooded area in Chalamont Park, a neighborhood park in west Little Rock. I really feel sorry for their mother. Family: Ebby Steppach's Death is Being Investigated as a Homicide. Their names, obviously, have not been released. But Ebbys family and friends had already taken matters into their own hands and began passing out fliers across town, hoping someone had seen her. What in the fucking fuck. He had footage of it on his dashboard camera, but had since lost the recordings. I tried to keep this write-up from getting too long, so didnt include every single detail I read. He also added that they have persons of interest in the case and have interviewed multiple people, but no one had been named a suspect at this time. Towards the beginning of the school year, she left her family's home to gain her parents' freedom. She worked two part-time jobs as a teenager, saving every dollar so she could buy nice, expensive makeup. The equipment hit obstructions on both ends of the drainage pipe and Hudson was given the go-ahead to dig up the section of pipe. Are You Involved in a Story Making Headlines? Ebby Steppach was creative. Her disappearance ended 4 years ago when Little Rock police found Ebby's remains in a drainpipe, 60-feet from where they found her car at the beginning of the investigation in 2015. Today marks the third anniversary of the last time she was seen alive. My grandson has lost his dad. The park has been searched multiple times since Steppachs disappearance, police spokesman Officer Steve Moore said. In this season of Hell And Gone. Forum Rules And Guidlines. Throughout the evening, cell phone records showed Ebby sent text messages to men she had implicated in her rape, threatening to go to the police if they didnt delete the video. Ebby Thatcher, San Jose CA, 3-4-61. This was followed by a police search of Chalamont Park in November 2016. When Ebbys remains were found, Laurie was devastated. On May 24, 2018, the police went back to Chalamont Park around 10am and discovered skeletal remains near wear Ebby's car was found. Ebby called him, sounding panicked and disoriented. They have the names of the guys she claimed assaulted her, but no formal investigation of them has been done as far as I know. But no matter what happens, I have peace. Timeline of the Ebby Steppach Case Steppach, a student at Central High in Little Rock was reported missing on Oct. 26, 2015. "Because I know I would've been hysterical and rushed over. Exploring the 2015 disappearance and subsequent death of 18-year-old Ebby Steppach; At just 35 years old, he died of a massive heart attack. He came in and saved the day on Ebbys case, Laurie said. My faith is so strong and I trust that God will bring answers, Laurie said. It's why I searched here. [4] Later that evening, when Steppach's mother, Laurie Jernigan, and stepfather attempted to reach her by phone, they got no response; her stepfather suspected she had gone to retrieve the video of her rape. She later texted the men implicated, threatening to report them to the authorities. In May 2018, Ebby Steppach's body was found in a drainpipe in her hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas, more than two-and-a-half years after the 18-year-old high school senior disappeared. Ebbys disappearance was also featured on Nancy Grace. We could have put her to rest. Then, Eric, Ebbys on-again, off-again boyfriend, reveals vital information on Ebbys behaviors right up until her disappearance. Submissions should outline a mystery and provide a link to a more detailed review of the case such as a Wiki article or news report. Ebby Steppach was born on March 31, 1997. Per a 2017 report, the men Steppach had accused of sexual assault had all spoken to police, though no formal searches of their cell phones were done for the alleged video of Steppachs rape. And the minute we could do so, on October 26 in the middle of the night, we filed a report.. So Ebbys mom and stepfather, Michael, told her she needed to behave in a respectful manner or she needed to move out. Everything else? The second time, she was with another man in the backseat of her car. Its unclear what compelled investigators to search the pipe specifically on Tuesday. Her car was found abandoned in a city park. The remains of an Arkansas teen who vanished more than two years ago have been found, and police tell Oxygen.com that what had been a missing persons case is now a homicide investigation.Ebby Steppach, 18, was last seen alive on October 24, 2015. Feel free to read more at the resources below, and please let me know what you think about this case. They hired private investigator Monty Vickers to see what he could find out. It was the last time anyone ever heard from Ebby. This is a very sad case. Something was there. The case made national news and people from all over the world contacted the Little Rock Police Department and the family with bogus tips, some even claiming to be holding Ebby captive as they demanded money for her safe return. And that's something that has given me solace.". Ebbys friend Danielle, whom she had been staying with, was never contacted by police either. In addition to the mishandling of the car evidence and loss of the LRPDs call records, Vickers discovered many other holes in the investigation. ET. So we had to wait. What happened to Ebby from Dr Phil? Ill be back to spend the night. "There was some evidence we were looking at that was found at the scene when she initially disappeared that bothered us," Hudson said. Could it help solve the mystery? And she started to push back rebel.. Shortly following the news of Hudson's retirement, Little Rock Police Department released a statement about Ebby's case: The Little Rock Police Department is committed to work collectively to resolve all cold cases; more specifically the Ebby Steppach case. For Ebby's family and friends, they just want answers. She was unable to tell him who she was with or where she was. [4] On October 21, 2015, Steppach missed school. We were told that we couldn't file a police report for 12 hours, Laurie said. During the search for Ebby, her family looked into the possibility of her having been forced into sex trafficking. Ebby met some reportedly disreputable people through her summer job at the Foot Locker in McCain Mall. Tommy Hudson with the Little Rock polices Cold Case Unit said the case is considered an open homicide investigation. Tragic all the way around. She wanted Michael to go to the police with her to report the incident. The men implicated in Ebbys rape have been spoken to by investigators, but there have been no formal searches of their cellphones for the alleged video of her rape. That was when they discovered Ebby's remains just 60 feet from where her car had been found. But as time passed, they became more and more worried. But someone else needs him now.. But that information will not be released, to avoid jeopardizing the case. On October 25, 2015, she placed an erratic phone call to her older brother, Trevor; this was the last known contact anyone had with her. A family friend named Margie Foley had reported to the police that she smelled decomposition while they . She loves her family so much, she wouldnt cause her family this much pain, Steppachs mother, Laurie Steppach, told KATV. May 19, 2022, 4:00 PM The disappearance of high school senior Ebby Steppach in 2015 made headlines across the country and sent shockwaves through her hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas. Arkansas Online series about Ebbys disappearance: https://www.arkansasonline.com/ebby/, Stories of the Unsolved blog post: https://storiesoftheunsolved.com/2019/02/02/the-murder-of-ebby-steppach/, Arkansas Online article about police mishandling evidence & acting inappropriately: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2018/may/31/report-of-smell-dismissed-in-15-2018053/?page=2, THV11 follow up one year after remains were found: https://www.thv11.com/article/features/one-year-later-the-search-for-justice-in-ebby-steppach-case-continues/91-beb932ec-171e-481a-83a8-068ac173a8e2. And she took excellent care of it. From the first word of her disappearance to now, the Steppach case has plagued the public and police, as no suspect, or suspects, have been formally charged neither for the alleged rape nor the murder. What's even worse is that her brother Trevor recently passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack at age 35. During the multiple searches for Ebby, a team looking through a remote wooded area of Little Rock stumbled across a site, consisting of clothes, handcuffs, a skeletal leg bone and a shoe that resembled one that the missing girl would wear. Her life had gone through a few major changes as she . October 25, 2015. I apologize in advance for any formatting errors. Steppachs family released a statement on Wednesday after her remains were positively identified. Nothing was found. Ebby Steppach death: New theories revealed on Dr. Phil Show 2,786 views May 19, 2022 A Dr. Phil episode aired on Thursday focusing on the disappearance and death of Little Rock's Ebby. While initially believed to possibly be related to the case, it was later determined the leg bone belonged to an animal. But as time passed, they became more and more worried. Ebby had spent the day with her grandparents, and left their house around 8 p.m. telling them she was going to meet her stepfather. If the police weren't interested, or perhaps not motivating the dogs well, they are also less likely to find anything. Plus, hear from Debi, Ebbys paternal grandmother, who has never spoken to the media because she says so much of the media got her granddaughters story wrong. [4] Throughout the evening, cell phone records showed Steppach sent text messages to several of the men she had implicated in her rape, threatening to report them to police. And they were stopped in their tracks. Site Map. But someone else needs him now.. Ebby opted to move out and bounced around between staying with friends and her older brother, Trevor. Her bones were found last Tuesday in a park drainage pipe in a Little Rock suburb, steps from where her car was discovered after she disappeared. But no matter what happens, I have peace. Ebby Steppach case still open, preliminary cause of death determined but wont be released, One year later | The search for justice for Ebby continues, Days after Ebby Steppach disappeared, police shrugged off pipe odor, caller says, Mysterious 911 call and the disappearance of Cheyann Klus, Dr. Dharmesh Patel (41) attempted to kill his family by driving their Tesla off a 300 foot cliff, Ana Walshe is missing after her husband googled 'how to dispose of a 115 pound womans body', Jennifer Fairgate and her briefcase of bullets, Florida Cosplay/Cam Girl, Melissa Turner stabs her boyfriend to death and waits 4 hours to call 911, Tristyn Bailey (13) was stabbed 114 times, allegedly by her 14 y/o classmate. Map of Chalamont Park and where Ebby was located. The next evening around 5:30 p.m., Ebby called her brother, Trevor, and told him that she was in her car, but didnt know where she was. 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