It’s been nearly 40 years since Debra Espey was discovered dead.
The 19-year-old girl’s body was found partially clothed in a shallow grave on Eglin Air Force Base’s reservation more than a month after she was reported missing March 12, 1973. Since then, her death has been shrouded in mystery while investigators search for the person responsible for her murder.
Investigator Michael Smith with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office is just the latest of dozens of investigators to work the case.
Over the years, Espey’s case file has grown with leads, witnesses, evidence and speculation about what happened to the shy brunette from Niceville.
She was the first of two similar killings in 1973. The second occurred in November when Theresa Dusevitch was found with a bullet to her head. She also was partially clothed when her body was found.
Espey’s case began as a missing person report filed by her father. Then in April a motorcyclist riding on the reservation saw Espey’s leg sticking out from the shallow grave.
She was wearing only a bra and a blouse that had been pulled up over her breasts. Near her grave were several of her possessions, including her purse and underwear. That led investigators to believe she might have been sexually assaulted.
Also near the grave was a tire iron, which investigators believe was used to kill Espey.
However, any forensic evidence was long gone by the time the body was found.
The autopsy report could not pinpoint the exact time of her death. It was determined that she died from blunt force trauma to her head and had had her jaw broken.
Espey was known by friends to hitchhike from her home to Okaloosa-Walton Junior College. Investigators checked out a young man who was seen giving her a ride the day she disappeared. However, there was no evidence to make an arrest.
Smith the investigator said the Sheriff’s Office is reanalyzing evidence and is looking for any new leads the public can provide.
“If there’s anybody that has any information, no matter how old it is, no matter how many times its been looked at, we’ll look at it again,” he said.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn.