The last known contact she had on October 25 was with her older brother, Trevor. 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] When he called her back, she answered, this time telling him she was in her car but was unsure where she was parked. However, her parents never addressed this with her, wanting to give her more independence. Little Rock Police spokesman Officer Steve Moore said cold case investigators were following up on Ebby Steppach's disappearance Tuesday when they found the skeletal remains in an underground. Tommy Hudson with the Little Rock polices Cold Case Unit said the case is considered an open homicide investigation. What in the fucking fuck. Upon calling her back, Ebby admitted she didnt know where she was and said she wasnt in a good state of mind. After hanging up from her phone call with her brother, Ebby was never heard from again. She would not let you leave a room without making you laugh. LRPD treated the case as a runaway situation for almost 8 months, and by the time federal investigators got involved in 2016, crucial evidence had been lost. Steppach had recently attended a private school, but the following year she attended a government-funded school. Laurie says that's because no one has figured out what - or who - caused Ebby's death. So Ebbys mom and stepfather, Michael, told her she needed to behave in a respectful manner or she needed to move out. As such, on March 31, 2018, they held a fundraiser for PATH, also known as Parents Against Trafficking Humans. For Ebby's family and friends, they just want answers. But Ebbys specialty was makeup. After Tuesdays discovery, Steppachs family released a statement asking for privacy, THV11 reports. I'm so sorry. 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. She was survived by her parents, Laurie and Michael Jernigan; her father, Peter Steppach; her sister, Harris Elizabeth; brother, Trevor; stepbrother, Ethan; her. Days later, Ebby's Volkswagen Passat was found parked in Chalamont Park. There was no doubt it was her.. Hudson obtained maps of the drainage pipes from the city and took a team back down to Chalamont Park, where they sent cameras down drainage pipes. [7] She initially told him she was parked outside his house, but upon hanging up and walking out to the street, he did not see her car. However, it does seem highly coincidental that she disappeared/was murdered right after being sexually assaulted and had threatened to report it. At around 2:00pm on October 25, Trevor managed to get a hold of his sister, who said she was parked outside his house. [4], Several searches of Chalamont Park were undertaken after the discovery of Steppach's car, though no additional evidence was found in the surrounding woods. In addition to the mishandling of the car evidence and loss of the LRPDs call records, Vickers discovered many other holes in the investigation. Although Hudson would not tell Dateline how Ebby died, because he believes it would interfere with the investigation, he said her death is being investigated as a homicide. Law enforcement never reached out to him. However, they wanted to encourage her independence, and didnt confront her. But as time passed, they became more and more worried. She wasnt a so-called runaway. On Tuesday, police announced during a press conference that the remains could be those of Steppach, who disappeared in October 2015. Ebbys remains were found on May 22, 2018, a mere 60 feet from where her car had been found two years earlier. The search to find her lasted until May 2018, when her remains were found in a drainpipe in Chalamont Park. She wanted Michael to go to the police with her to report the incident. She submitted recordings of conversations, text message threads, emails and provided witnesses as evidence. General. It is a shame, because the culprits seem pretty obvious. The family thanked the numerous people involved in the investigation, including a Little Rock Cold Case Detective, Tommy Hudson, and members of the cold case unit, as well as the FBI. Margie Foley, a family friend and mother of one of Steppachs best friends, claimed that she had smelled decomposition while doing a private search of the area and alerted the authorities. Searches of the woods around the park were undertaken, but no sign of Ebby was found. Investigators looking into the disappearance of 18-year-old Ebby Steppach previously spent three days in 2016 searching Chalamont Park in west Little Rock for the woman's body, but returned. When asked why she had waited to file the complaint, Laurie explained she feared retaliation and thus waited until it had been transferred to detectives in another department. On November 4, 2018, Ebbys friends and family planted a tree in Chalamont Park, in a move to show she would never be forgotten. Upcoming on In Pursuit. At just 35 years old, he died of a massive heart attack. She worked two part-time jobs as a teenager, saving every dollar so she could buy nice, expensive makeup. "I'm grateful that I wasn't told about that text, about what happened," Laurie said. Searches of the woods around the park were undertaken, but no sign of Ebby was found. 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. Laurie, who has met with Dr. Phil twice, returns because she says she is now pleading with the public to share any information they may have. Ebby met some reportedly disreputable people through her summer job at the Foot Locker in McCain Mall. Ebbys cell phone records show that she made two calls to the Little Rock Police Department that night, each about a minute long. Her body was found was. Instead, Ebby got to spend that last day with her grandparents. However, where she was on the road has never been publicly released, nor if there was anyone else in the car with her. Ebby Steppach was 18 years old when she disappeared from her hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas, just days after a party where she alleged that four men sexually assaulted her and recorded their actions on a cellphone. But no matter what happens, I have peace. Together, they will continue to work on any new developments in this case.. But no one knew where she was. Searches of the woods in the park were undertaken, but no sign of Steppach was found. Its Going To Take Someone Coming Forward, Says Mother Of Little Rock Teen Whose Death Remains Unsolved, Private Investigator Refutes Police Theory That Teen Found Dead In Drainpipe Crawled Down There On Her Own, I Knew Instantly Someone Had Taken Her, Says Mother Of Teen Whose Body Was Found In 2018, This Is Not A Cold Case, Says Retired Detective About Ebby Steppachs Death, Sponsored: Dr. Phil McGraw Teams Up With Sundae To Help Homeowners Sell As-Is. Fort Valley State University student Missing Where is Anitra Gunn? When she wasnt at her grandmothers house [the following day], thats when thing started to get like, Well, where is she?,' Steppachs stepdad, Michael Jernigan, told the station at the time. In 2018, authorities returned to the park where her abandoned car had been . But Ebby's specialty was. Bob never drank again until his death . "But if Tommy had been on the case back then and had found her in a week, they would've found who did it and we wouldnt have had to keep living this nightmare. When I got the case, there were things that werent done that shouldve been done on the front end, Hudson said, explaining that interviewing key witnesses and checking surveillance footage had not been done. Steppachs family released a statement on Wednesday after her remains were positively identified. Ebby Steppach / Date of death. The nightmare only continued for Ebbys family as they noticed mistakes they said police had made from the beginning and believed her case was not being taken seriously. October 25, 2015. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. On February 12, 2018, Laurie filed a complaint with the Little Rock Police Department, alleging a Captain, a Lieutenant and a Sergeant had sent her threatening text messages, had yelled at her during questioning and had refused to update her on the case during the early days of the investigation. Something happened to her.. 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. Her ability to forecast the sun despite the rainiest of days made her a special young woman, introducing serenity to a world that so deeply . Our cold case unit is comprised of seasoned investigators who have retired as active members of the Little Rock Police Department. 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. 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. Working off a gut instinct, Hudson told Dateline he felt they needed to take another look in the park where Ebbys car was found back in 2015. And the minute we could do so, on October 26 in the middle of the night, we filed a report.. That was when they discovered Ebby's remains just 60 feet from where her car had been found. Her car was found abandoned in a city park. Now-retired Little Rock Police homicide detective Tommy Hudson stepped in and took over Ebbys case in 2017. Ebby Jane Steppach had dreams of becoming a cosmetologist. December 2017 In an attempt to bring publicity to her case, Steppachs mother and brother Trevor appeared onDr. Phil. I think the most frustrating part, as most would agree, is that the most obvious place where her remains would be, were never searched. If Ebby had been found right away, we wouldn't have had to go through this nightmare, she said. Marking Ebbys birthday, every dollar raised from those in attendance went to the organization, which provides services for survivors of assault and human trafficking. Ebby Jane Steppach was born March 31, 1997 at 6:30 a.m. She died October 25, 2015, the day her car was abandoned at Chalamont Park in West Little Rock. They listed her as runaway and, as such, no search was conducted, despite her family saying she would never run away without keeping in contact with them. Well, with God, Ill make it through.. 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. As of today, the case is still open and unsolved. It is situated at Chalamont Park in Little Rock, Arkansas. There have been a lot of rumors swirling about why this case has not been solved yet. This was followed by a police search of Chalamont Park in November 2016. 5 min read 8657 Werger road, Windham The man who called 911 to report an armed neighbor in his garage asked authorities for permission to shoot her, criticized police for. While the medical examiner found a preliminary cause of death, it hasnt been publicly released. This is a very sad case. [4] In an attempt to bring publicity to her case, Steppach's mother and brother Trevor appeared on Dr. Phil in December 2017. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. According to private investigator Monty Vickers, Ebby also sent texts to her alleged rapists, threatening to go to the police with her claims. A podcast did a great story on this and I cant remember which one. And that's something that has given me solace.". For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. He would have had dash camera footage, but the police waited too long to subpoena the evidence, and it was long since erased. Working off a gut instinct, Hudson told Dateline he felt they needed to take another look in the park where Ebbys car was found back in 2015. Then, Eric, Ebbys on-again, off-again boyfriend, reveals vital information on Ebbys behaviors right up until her disappearance. [14], In 2021, her case was the subject of season 1 of the podcast "Subterfuge in Chalamont Park". And I knew it was Ebby.. Friends of Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie are coming out of the woodwork and claiming that the couple's relationship history was toxic from the start. Days after Steppachs disappearance, her Volkswagen vehicle was found in Chalamont Park, the station reports. Ill be back to spend the night. [3] Days before her disappearance, she had accused four men of gang-raping her at a party she had attended. Something was there. This also highlighted how poorly local authorities were managing the case. 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. She had been dead since the time her car was found three years prior. Instead, Ebby got to spend that last day with her grandparents. Her death has been classified as a homicide. Unsolved Homicide: Who Put Ebby Steppach in the Drainpipe? I really dont believe it is that latter. In 1991 a woman was found dead by suicide in a hotel. Danielle explained she tried to warn Ebby that the new friends she was making didnt seem like the best crowd. The family's private investigator had a bigger, more thorough file than the police. She saved her money and worked hard to buy really nice makeup, Laurie said. [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. Russell King passes a memorial for Ebby Steppach as he works Tuesday at Chalamont Park in west Little Rock. Lucy Letby- Killer Nurse? There are only two reasons here why this case has not been solved.A)The Little Rock police dept are completely stupid and boungled the case from the startor B) They know good and well who did it but they hid/destroyed evidence and drug their feet in order to protect the ones who murdered her. Ebby stayed with Danielle and her family for the remainder of the week. The daughter of two hair stylists, she was already immersed in that world and the craft came naturally. She wanted Michael to go to the police with her to report the incident. He had retired earlier in the year, but returned just months later to help with the new cold case unit. Police arrived over an hour later and after a quick inspection, told her it was sewage. I would give anything to hear her laugh again. During this time in her life, she also got a job at the Foot Locker in McCain Mall, a move her family says coincided with a change in behaviour. I wanted to check the park again.". [4] Trevor described her as seeming "disoriented" during their conversation. Vanished: Heidi Broussard (33) and Margot Carey (2wks). By that time, I just knew in my soul that something was really wrong, Ebbys mother, Laurie Jeringan, told Dateline. On October 28, three days after Ebbys last contact with her brother, a security guard at Chalamont Park in west Little Rock reported an abandoned vehicle in the parking lot. In May 2017, the case was reassigned to homicide detectives within the Little Rock Police Department. Her keys, her phone, her purse, makeup and contact lenses were scattered inside. The car belonged to 18-year-old Ebby Steppach, and Ebby had vanished without a trace. As they felt local police werent taking the case seriously, Ebbys family hired private investigator Monty Vickers, who acted as a go-between between them and investigators. However, it was noted that the officers implicated were no longer with the Major Crimes Unit. The remains were confirmed by the Little Rock Police Department, according to a reporter for KARK 4 News on Wednesday. On October 30, 2015, the Little Rock Police Department searched an abandoned car in a small r Laurie said the days since Ebby died, have been filled with trying to find out what happened to her daughter in October of 2015. Her phone records also indicate she stopped opening messages that night a major red flag. Family released a statement asking for privacy, THV11 reports warn Ebby that the remains were positively identified and a. Steppachs mother and brother Trevor appeared onDr according to a reporter for 4... 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