Eight young girls were mysteriously abducted in the 1980s in chilling spree that rocked the Midwest… now there’s new hope thanks to DNA breakthrough
New DNA testing has renewed hopes of solving the 1983 murder of 10-year-old Debbie Smith, who vanished from a carnival in Massillon, Ohio. The case may also shed light on other killings of young girls in northeast Ohio during the early 1980s, though investigators have not established that all the crimes were connected.
Smith was missing for nine days before her remains were found near the Tuscarawas River, about 15 miles from home. Investigators are again examining Robert Buell, who was executed in 2002 for the 1982 murder of 11-year-old Krista Harrison and was later linked by DNA to the 1981 killing of 12-year-old Tina Harmon. The article does not specify what the latest DNA testing found.
In short
- New DNA testing has revived Debbie Smith’s 1983 murder investigation.
- Investigators are taking another look at Robert Buell.
- The testing could help clarify links to other Ohio killings.
Explained simply
In the early 1980s, several young girls were killed in northeast Ohio, including Debbie Smith, who disappeared from a carnival in Massillon in 1983. Her remains were found nine days later near the Tuscarawas River. Investigators have not established that the killings were all connected.
Robert Buell was executed in 2002 for the 1982 murder of 11-year-old Krista Harrison. DNA later linked him to the 1981 killing of 12-year-old Tina Harmon. The cases matter because evidence in one investigation may help clarify what happened in others.