She Was Almost Home-The Disappearance of Laurie Depies

"Ope, it’s Murder" is a true crime podcast deeply rooted in the Midwest, and for our pilot release, we are starting right here in our own backyard. Episode One covers a case that has heavily impacted our hometown for decades: The Disappearance of Laurie Depies.

Because this is our community, this case is incredibly close to our hearts. Our primary focus will always be to honor Laurie, respect her family, and keep her memory alive. We want to share her story with the utmost care, ensuring she is never forgotten.

As this is our pilot episode, we are still actively working on fine-tuning our edits and audio quality to give you the best listening experience possible. We are so excited to introduce our podcast to the community, and we are completely open to your feedback as we grow.

HELP SOLVE THIS CASE:

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/vicap/missing-persons/laurie-jean-depies

https://www.wimissing.org/post/laurie-jean-depies

Sources: 

WBAY

Dr. Phil: Season 17 Episode 89

Cold Case: Frozen Tundra | A Podcast: Season 2

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2627188/supporters/new

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Picture this. It's late at night, you're only a few steps away from your front door. Tomorrow is another ordinary day. Except you never make it inside. No screams, no witnesses who could explain what happened, no answers that would bring a family peace. Just one question that's haunted Wisconsin for decades. What happened to Lori Dedas? Hey everyone, I'm Lindsay. And I'm Libby. We're two best friends from Wisconsin who love coffee, road trips, and diving into the stories that shaped our Midwest communities. Every episode, we'll share what we're drinking and then explore a true crime case connected to Wisconsin. Some of these stories you've probably heard of, and some you have never probably heard of before, but they deserve to be remembered. One thing that's really important to us is that we tell these stories with respect. When a case is unsolved, we'll always tell you what's been confirmed by investigators and what's simply been discussed publicly. We never want to present speculation as fact. Because at the center of every story is a real person and a real family. All right. So before we dive into today's case, what are we drinking? I ordered an iced coffee with cream, sugar, and butter pecan. And I went with a iced latte with caramel and French vanilla and an extra shot of espresso. So we are looking to partner with small businesses at Fit Our Vibe. Today's coffee is from Duncan, but we're definitely looking for coffee roasters and cafes. So if your brand believes in supporting women creators, loves true crime, or just thinks that we'd be a good fit, we'd love to work together. Send us a message or email us, and we're excited to feature products that we genuinely love and share them with our community. Okay, coffee's poured. Let's talk about why we're here. Today's story takes us to Menasha, Wisconsin, a community where people still remember exactly where they were when Lori Deppis disappeared. Not because anybody expected something like this to happen there, but because it Sipoli wasn't the kind of place where people vanished. And yet, on one ordinary night, that's exactly what happened. Imagine making it all the way home, pulling into your parking lot, and then disappearing before you ever make it inside. No screams, no witnesses, no answers. Grab your favorite coffee, settle in, and remember, everything we discussed today involves real people, real families, and real lives. We always encourage respect for the victims and their loved ones. The disappearance of Lori Deppis. It's August 19th, 1992. The Fox cities were much different than they are today. The Fox River Mall had become one of the busiest places in northeastern Wisconsin, drawing shoppers and young employees from across the area. Lori Deppis was one of those employees. She was 20 years old. She lived in Appleton and worked at the graffiti clothing store inside the mall. Friends described Lori as outgoing and fashionable. She loved clothes, jewelry, and spending time with her friends. She had been dating her boyfriend, Mark Trunbach, and the two had planned to see each other after her shift that evening. Nothing about August 19th suggested it would be one of Wisconsin's most enduring mysteries. Lori finished closing the store around 10 p.m. A coworker walked her to her gray 1984 Volkswagen Rabbit before they both left them all. She drove approximately 15 minutes towards her boyfriend's apartment near the 300 block of West Wilson Avenue in what was then the town of Manasha. Inside the apartment were Mark, his sister, and another friend. It was known that Lori's Volkswagen had a loud muffler. According to those inside, they heard her car enter the parking lot, then they heard a car door close. They expected Lori to walk inside. She never did. After waiting several minutes, the group went outside. Lori's car was there, locked, but Lori wasn't. A sterofoam cup containing soda had been left on top of the vehicle, but her purse and overnight bag remained inside. There were no obvious signs of a struggle, no witnesses reported hearing screams, no one reported seeing Lori leave. Police quickly began searching for Lori. Friends, family, volunteers, and investigators looked throughout the area. Despite extensive searches, no trace of Lori was ever found. Authorities have long stated they believe foul play was involved in her disappearance. As months turned into years, the investigation continued. Thousands of tips were received, multiple leads were investigated, but the case remained open. Then, in 2010, convicted kidnapper Larry Duane Hall confessed to abducting and killing Lori. Investigators interviewed him and searched for locations that he had identified. However, they were unable to locate Lori's remains or find any physical evidence confirming his confession. Because of the lack of corroborating evidence, Hall was never charged with Lori's disappearance. More than 30 years later, Lori Deppis has never been found. Her disappearance remains an active cold case. The FBI and Wisconsin investigators continue to ask anyone with information to come forward. Those are the known facts, but like many cold cases, the facts leave far more questions than answers. Who saw Lori that night? How could someone just disappear from an apartment parking lot without anyone seeing it happen? And what happened during those few missing minutes between the sound of her car arriving and the discovery that she was gone? And here's something that's always stuck with me. Investigators didn't find obvious signs of a struggle. No broken glass, nothing. No evidence that someone fought back, no reports of anyone hearing screams or yelling. It's almost as if Lori simply vanished. Police interviewed everyone: her boyfriend, the people inside the apartment, coworkers who had seen her at the mall, friends, family, anyone who might have crossed paths with Lori that day. They worked together to peace every minute of August 19th, hoping one small detail would explain what happened. The searches didn't stop at the parking lot. Law enforcement searched nearby woods, fields, and other surrounding areas. Volunteers from across the Fox Valley showed up hoping that they could help bring Lori home. Unfortunately, nothing was found. No clothing, no personal belongings, nothing that explained where she went after stepping out of her car. As the days turned into weeks and weeks into months, tips started pouring in. Investigators followed thousands of leads over the years. Every one of them had to be checked. Some went nowhere, others looked promising, but ultimately couldn't be verified. That's the frustrating reality of a long-running cold case. Authorities have consistently said that they believe Lori was the victim of foul play. One reason is what she left behind. Her purse, her belongings, her car. There has also never been confirmed activity on her bank accounts or her social security number after the night she disappeared. Then, years later, the case took another turn. In 2010, convicted kidnapper and serial offender Larry Duane Hall claimed that he had abducted and killed Lori. Investigators interviewed him and searched areas that he had identified. But despite those searches, they did not recover Lori's remains. They also did not find any physical evidence confirming his confession. Because of that, Hall has never been charged in Lori's disappearance. And that's where the investigation stands today. More than 30 years later, Lori has never been found. The case remains open, investigators still accept tips, and somewhere out there, someone may know exactly what happened that night. One thing you'll hear us say a lot in this podcast is that it's easy to get caught up in the theories. And trust us, we've gone down plenty of rabbit holes ourselves. But before we get into any of that, we wanted to make sure that we laid out the facts. Because Lori isn't just a mystery. She was someone's daughter, someone's friend, someone who should have made it upstairs that night. And that's the part we never want to lose sight of. Alright, so we've laid out the timeline, we've talked about the investigation. Now we're at the part that has kept people talking for more than 30 years. The questions. And honestly, there are a lot of them. The biggest one, how does someone disappear from an apartment and parking lot in what seems like a matter of seconds? According to those inside the apartment, they heard Lori's car pull in. They heard the car door shut. They expected her to walk through the door. But she never did. That timeline has always been one of the most puzzling parts of this entire case. And then there's the scene itself. There weren't obvious signs of a struggle. Everything left behind. When you look at just those facts, it raises a lot of questions. Like, did she have time to react? Did she know who approached her? Or did something happen so quickly that she never even had a chance? Those are the questions that investigators have tried to answer for decades. Another question. Did someone know Lori's routine? She worked at the same store. She was expected at her boyfriend's apartment. Was her arrival a coincidence, or was somebody waiting? Investigators have never publicly answered that question, and we simply don't know. Okay, then there's the parking lot itself. So apartment complexes aren't usually empty. People come home from work, they're walking dogs, taking out trash, looking out windows. Yet no witness has ever come forward saying that they clearly saw what happened to Lori. That's one of the reasons this case feels so unbelievable. Over the years, countless theories have been discussed. Some have come from investigators, some from journalists, some from internet forums, and some have been spread simply because people are desperate for answers. But it's important to remember something. A theory is not evidence, and in a case like this, separating fact from speculation matters. And that's something we want to be super intentional about on this podcast. We're absolutely going to talk about theories. Some are more wildly discussed than others, while some are supported by pieces of evidence. Others are based almost entirely on assumptions, and we'll tell you which is which and let you decide what you think. At the end of the day, the biggest unsolved and unanswered question is also the most simplest one. What happened between Lori shutting her car door and the moment her boyfriend walked outside? Somewhere in those missing moments is the answer to this entire case. If someone has kept that secret for more than 30 years, imagine carrying that weight every single day. Relationships change, people move, friendships end, loyalties shift. Sometimes the person who couldn't talk in 1992 can talk today. And sometimes all it takes is one person deciding that it's finally time to tell the truth. If you know something, even if you've convinced yourself it's too small to matter, it could be exactly what investigators need. Cold cases aren't solved because time passes. They're solved because people come forward. And Lori's family is still waiting for those answers. Maybe someday this case won't be remembered as a mystery. Maybe it'll finally be remembered as being solved. Okay, so before we get ourselves into trouble on the internet, we want to make one thing very crystal clear. Everything from this point forward is simply us talking through the case. We're not investigators, we're not claiming to know what happened. We're just two Wisconsin girls who love true crime, have read way too much about this case, and have a lot of questions. Exactly. If you've listened this far, you've heard the facts. Now we're going to do what everyone has done since 1992. Ask ourselves what happened. When I first heard this story years ago, the thing that immediately got me was the timeline. Not because it was complicated, because it's so incredibly short. If you're talking about someone pulling into a parking lot, getting out of their car, and somehow disappearing before making it a few steps to an apartment building. That's just so hard to wrap your head around. And maybe that's why this case has never left Wisconsin. Everyone who hears it thinks the same thing. How? How does this happen? How does nobody see anything? How does nobody hear anything? And then there's another thing that's always stuck with me. This wasn't the middle of nowhere. There wasn't some abandoned road at two o'clock in the morning. This wasn't an apartment complex. This was an apartment complex. So people lived there. People came and went, lights were on, cars were around, and yet somehow no one has been able to provide the one piece of information that answers everything. Now, over the years, people have come up with a lot of different explanations. Some make more sense than others, some have been looked at by investigators, others are just conversations that have grown over time. We're going to walk through those one by one, not to tell you what to believe, but to explain why each one has been discussed. And as we go through them, ask yourself one question. Does this fit the facts? Because no matter what theory you're talking about, it has to fit the timeline. It has to fit the evidence, and it has to explain why Lori has never been found. By the end of this episode, you might have your own opinion. You might agree with us, you might completely disagree, and that's okay. That's what makes cold cases so fascinating and so heartbreaking. Because until someone comes forward, the only thing we know for certain is that Lori should have made it upstairs that night. And she never did. So let's get into these theories. Theory number one: abduction by someone she knew. There is no evidence of a forced kidnapping, but the absence of struggle signs and the locked, undisturbed condition of her car suggests she may have been harmed after leaving the apartment complex. All right. Theory number one abduction by someone she knew. There is no evidence of a forced kidnapping, but the absence of struggle signs and the locked, undisturbed condition of her car suggests she may have been harmed after leaving the apartment complex. Investigators note that her car was locked with no signs of forced entry, footprints, or drag marks. This has led to the speculation that she may have been taken in a vehicle she was familiar with, possibly by a friend or acquaintance, and then met with harm elsewhere. The thumbprint of a styrofoam cup found on the hood of her 1984 Volkswagen rabbit was considered a possible link to the abductor. Police believe it was likely from a man that was not definitively tied to a suspect. How do you have one thumbprint though? Like, can you explain what you went to school for a little bit and like your experience with that? So I went to school for forensic science and criminal justice. And then I actually worked at the Grand Shoot. Well, not worked because I didn't get paid and I was an intern. And I actually helped them in their evidence bay and collection. And I actually witnessed them fingerprinting a case where an event venue was robbed, and they had to fingerprint all of the bottles. And it was some tea. Every single bottle. Every single bottle. And there were hundreds of fingerprints. So then after that is done, then they send it out to the crime lab to get tested. So for me, just a single thumbprint is kind of interesting. The only thing I could think of is since it was found on the roof of her car, my theory is maybe that was kind of being used as a decoy for her to kind of notice and look at. We hear about it a lot today with cases in sex trafficking where they will use decoys to grab somebody's attention. So that is my theory when thinking into something like that. And out of all the information and like all the research that I did, I didn't see anything about like her DNA was found anywhere on it. So essentially there's just no proof where this cup came from. Correct, which is why I think maybe it was not in her car or in her possession at any point. I think it might have come from an outside source, or like I said, being kind of used as a decoy to almost grab her attention and distract her. And can you tell from just a single fingerprint, or in this case a thumbprint, whether it comes from a male or a female? I think technically you can look into different variations as far. I mean, if you look at your finger, everyone has a distinct kind of shape pattern. But if I remember right, there are different loops, as they call them, and there's only a handful of different patterns that can be followed. When it comes down to gender, confidently I cannot say. I didn't even know that, honestly. But maybe there is some type of DNA. I mean, I guess if they ran it for DNA, you can decide if it's male or female from that kind of part. Maybe there was sweat that they pull, like some kind of like that. But just a simple fingerprint. I did not know that you could do that. Just a thing too, like where technology has come from back then to even now in like 2026. Sometimes I just wonder, even reading like this case specifically, or even other ones, if they had the technology then, what they do now, like would they have found more? Oh, I think 100%. I would also like to be interested, or I would be interested in knowing what evidence they have kept and what evidence has been returned from the family. Working with Grand Shute, I know after a certain amount of time evidence does get returned, but I think in an open cold case, maybe in that instance they do hold on to it. I had witnessed and experienced cases of theft where years and years later they can finally return the evidence back to the stores. And at that time, the clothes they would give them are out of style and out of date. So I do know that they do hold on to evidence for a significant period of time. And I would be interested to know if they ran the fingerprint through the databases that they have now, if they would get in hit or when they had last done that. I want to go back and touch on this the first theory, you know, that you had mentioned too. So just the fact of how undisturbed her car was. I mean, there was nothing. Obviously, you and I watch a lot of true crime. So, like drag marks and all these things, you know, there's just absolutely nothing. And then there's this cup. And not knowing, I mean, I guess what if anything from her was on it, like you said, like was that a distraction? But I feel like then you would still see something. Yeah. But her car was locked, but her purse was inside. Correct. Maybe they were planning on leaving. I wonder where key so her keys, what about her keys? Where are her keys? Were her keys in her purse? I don't remember. I I listened to something the other day too, you know, while I was like, we were doing our research and just looking at different things. I listened to another podcast who actually had the friend, Victoria, that was in the apartment that day. And she had said that it was only she heard her vehicle pull in, very low muffler, like there they knew it was her. She went to the door, the screen door, and was gonna yell something out at her. It'd be kind of funny, and decided, nope, she'll be up here any minute. Turned around, went back inside, and within seconds, or you know, a few minutes probably, they were like, Well, she should be up here by now. And there was nothing. So I don't remember seeing anything about her keys specifically, but I remember, you know, it says like her purse was inside and that it was locked. So I'm guessing her keys were probably on her body in her possession. So I would be interested to actually know that because maybe, I mean, if you think back to that time. A lot of people left their purses in their car. I mean, let's I I probably shouldn't say this, but I sometimes leave mine still in my car. I leave my keys in my car. Correct. My dad does. My dad leaves his like truck unlocked and just walks away like nothing. So my guess still is I'm I'm I'm going with the fact that she was either distracted or maybe coworker. And maybe she's giving somebody a ride back with her. Who knows? But the cup, the cup to me seems like some kind of distraction because I feel like if somebody was in her car with her that she left work from, they would have found more DNA inside of her car from somebody else. Hair, fingerprints. So I think she met somebody in that parking lot that day. So I just had re-looked at all of the sources, or you know, like the info that I had made notes up here. And it does say I actually have it specifically listed that the keys were gone. So her car was locked, but the keys were never found. So like you said, I Oh, I just paused it. Okay. I paused this. So keys were never found. So they were definitely in her possession. I mean they had to have been if they found them nowhere and searched everywhere else around, you know, and but like you said, her car was locked. So I don't know. When I do have my keys on me, I get out, my car doesn't automatically lock. Correct. So she was she leaving her purse in there? I was just locking it and gonna head up and then looked at the cup. I mean, this is just what is absolutely mind-blowing to me and so unsettling at the same time because it is like she simply vanished and nobody saw anything, and it was within minutes. And then there's also the theory was somebody watching her day to day. Did they know exactly what her schedule was, her coming home from work, where she parked, if somebody was watching her? I mean, working at the mall, you run into different people every single day. Somebody easily could have been stalking her. We don't know. Somebody could have been infatuated with her, we don't know. But she definitely met somebody in that parking lot that day. And I personally believe that it was somebody targeting her. That Starry from Cup to me just really sticks out as a key piece of evidence. And like I said, I would be interested to know the last time they ran that print through all the databases we have today to see if they could get some kind of hint. Because nowadays everybody gets fingerprinted. How about your fingerprint last? Well, you can run it years later. Well, yeah, if they scan it into code, is it CODIS? Yeah. But it's been like decades. So I didn't know if you could still but if that person has been gone or doesn't have the fingerprints loaded into the system. Yeah, that's just absolutely wild to me. Very and then there's all some other weird rumors out there. A lot of these we don't feel comfortable passing along because again, Lori and her family deserve the respect that is attached to this horrific incident. I grew up in Chilton, Wisconsin, so Callimack County, very close to Autagamy County in Manasha. And I've heard about this case through aunts and uncles and my grandparents and my dad, and the theories that have been shared are incredibly heartbreaking. And I just hope that one day her family will be able to get the closure closer closure that they deserve. As of the latest updates, Lori Deppis' case remains open with no confirmed resolution. Her death is presumed due to the lack of recovery and the passage of time. But as we discussed, the circumstances remain a mystery. If you have information about the disappearance of Lori Deppis, investigators encourage you to contact the appropriate law enforcement agency or the FBI. As we wrap up today's episode, one thing keeps coming back to me. Lori just wasn't a headline. She wasn't. And it is not just another unsolved case. She was a daughter, a sister, a friend, somebody who had plans for tomorrow. Someone who should have made it home that night. I think it's really easy to get caught up in the mystery, like the theories and the timelines and the unanswered questions. But at the heart of every case that we're going to cover is a real person whose life mattered long before the tragedy ever found them. More than 30 years later, Lori's disappearance is still felt throughout the Fox Valley. Her family has spent decades waiting for answers. No family should have to wait for. Maybe somebody knows something, maybe one small detail, one conversation, or one memory that could finally help complete this picture.

unknown 27:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 27:09

If today's story moved you, take a moment to learn about Lori, share her story, and support organizations that advocate for missing persons. Keeping these stories alive isn't about reliving the tragedy. It's about remembering the people behind them and hoping that one day someone comes forward with the truth. Thank you for trusting us with your time today and for helping us honor Lori's story with respect. If you enjoyed today's episode, we'd love it if you'd follow OPIT's murder, leave us a review, and tell a friend who loves true crime and Midwest stories as much as you do. And if your hometown has a case that you'd like us to cover, send it our way. We'd love to hear from you. Until next time, stay kind, support local coffee, and remember. Sometimes the darkest stories happen in places that feel the safest. We'll see you next time on. Oh, it's harder to make it a lot of money.