Deanna Merryfield was 13 years old when she disappeared from Killeen, Texas on July 22, 1990. She was labeled a runaway and her case sat largely uninvestigated for decades.
Deanna was staying with her grandmother that summer. Around 3:30 a.m. on July 22, 1990, she snuck out and made her way nearly two miles to a trailer park to see her fraternal twin sister, Rebecca. After their uncle woke up and told her to head home, Deanna got into a brown or bronze four-door car with two unidentified men and drove off into the night. She never returned, and never took any of her belongings with her.
Deanna took nothing with her when she vanished, left no note, and told no one she planned to leave — but police classified her as a runaway anyway, and the family says almost no real investigation or search followed. Her family has said Deanna had experienced abuse from a family member, who was later charged in connection with it, and that this may have shaped how seriously authorities treated her disappearance from the start.
In 1992, Rebecca received a collect call from someone identifying herself as "Deanna," but the caller hung up before they could speak, and the call was traced to Kentucky without ever identifying who made it. In 1995, a traffic stop in Hurst, Texas flagged a similar name, though later investigation suggested it belonged to someone with a differently spelled name. An unconfirmed family account claims Deanna visited relatives sometime between 2000 and 2002, saying she wanted to remain hidden — but police have never been able to verify this.
Deanna's sister, Melissa Twardowski, pushed Killeen Police to reopen the case decades later, with help from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and has organized ground searches for evidence, including one earlier this year. She's connected with other families of the missing through advocacy conferences, and maintains FindingDeanna.com to keep the case visible.
Deanna would be 48 years old today. Her family has never stopped hoping for answers.
How to report a tip:
Killeen Police Department: 254-501-8830
Bell County Crime Stoppers (anonymous): submit online or by phone
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)