💔 “They Just Let Her Disappear”: The Vanishing of Deanna Merryfield
In the early morning hours of July 22, 1990, 13-year-old Deanna Merryfield disappeared from Killeen, Texas. She had left her grandmother’s house quietly sometime after midnight. Hours later, she was seen for the last time talking to her twin sister outside a trailer park, having arrived in a mysterious vehicle with two unknown men.
She never came home.
For decades, Deanna’s disappearance was buried under the weight of silence, systemic neglect, and the stigma of being labeled a “runaway.” There was no meaningful search. No press coverage. And no one was held accountable for what happened to a vulnerable girl already failed by the adults around her.
I recently sat down with Deanna’s younger sister, Missie, to understand the long shadow this case has cast over their family—and the quiet strength it has taken to keep Deanna’s memory alive.
A Childhood Marked by Instability
Deanna was born on February 2, 1977, the second of a set of fraternal twins. Raised in the small working-class city of Killeen alongside her older sister Amy, twin Rebecca, and younger sister Missie, Deanna grew up in a home that was at times loving, but often unstable.
Their mother, Laurel Merryfield, struggled with alcoholism. In 1986, she married Roy Kaopuiki, a man who was not the father of any of the girls. By 1989, allegations of abuse within the home would fracture the family—and alter the course of Deanna’s life forever.
During that summer, following their mother’s hospitalization for complications related to alcohol addiction, Deanna and Rebecca confided in their grandmother that Roy had been sexually abusing them. An investigation was launched, and statements were taken from three of the sisters. Though one later recanted and another’s case lacked evidence, Deanna’s disclosure led to charges being filed.
In October 1989, Roy Kaopuiki was convicted of indecency with a child/fondling. His punishment? Ten years probation and a requirement to register annually as a sex offender.
For a child who had bravely told the truth, it was a devastating failure of justice. And it wouldn’t be the last.
A Girl Full of Life
Deanna was not just a victim. She was a vibrant, curious, and deeply intelligent girl. As a child, she loved She-Ra: Princess of Power and Danger Mouse. She spent afternoons riding bikes, exploring nearby creeks, and listening to hard rock music. Her elementary school teachers described her as gifted—so much so that in second grade, she had read through the entire grade-level curriculum before the semester ended.
She was accepted into the Talented and Gifted (TAG) program in third grade and continued to excel. But by fifth grade, things changed. The trauma at home began to take its toll. Her grades slipped. Her spark began to dim.
As the abuse investigation unfolded in 1989, Deanna and her sisters were split up and sent to live with different relatives. Deanna spent time with her uncle, then moved in with her grandmother. Missie was moved from one aunt to another before eventually returning to live with Laurel and Roy.
These separations—meant to protect—left lasting emotional scars. Deanna, like her sisters, had to navigate not only the trauma she endured but the confusion of being uprooted again and again, with little consistency or comfort.
The Night She Vanished
On the evening of July 21, 1990, Deanna and her grandmother stayed up late watching movies. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. At some point after her grandmother went to sleep, Deanna slipped out of the house.
According to her twin sister Rebecca, Deanna showed up at the Oak Springs Trailer Park around 3:30 a.m. She arrived in a brown or bronze four-door vehicle driven by two unidentified men, believed to be Caucasian or Hispanic. The girls spoke briefly before their uncle, hearing the commotion, told Deanna she needed to return home.
Deanna left in the same vehicle she had arrived in.
She has not been seen since.
Labeled and Forgotten
Deanna was reported missing later that day—July 22, 1990. Rather than investigating her disappearance as a potential abduction or foul play, law enforcement quickly classified her as a runaway.
There were no search parties. No official media alerts. No community mobilization. The case went cold almost immediately.
Deanna had taken no personal belongings with her. She left no note. There was no prior indication she intended to leave. But the runaway label stripped the case of urgency, ensuring that the system would once again turn its back on her.
Missie described the lasting pain of watching her sister disappear not just from the physical world, but from public memory. The lack of advocacy, investigation, or even acknowledgment by those in power left the surviving sisters to carry the weight of Deanna’s story on their own.
A Life That Mattered
Today, Deanna would be 48 years old. Her case remains unsolved. There are no confirmed suspects, no physical evidence, and no movement from law enforcement. But what remains is a family still seeking truth—and a sister who refuses to let Deanna be erased.
What Missie has made clear is that Deanna’s disappearance cannot be separated from the context of her life. She was not a troubled teen looking for escape. She was a child who had already endured more than most adults could imagine—and who disappeared under highly suspicious circumstances.
The vehicle. The unknown men. The abrupt, late-night visit. None of it fits the typical profile of a runaway.
And yet, that label sealed her fate in the eyes of the system.
A Call to Remember and Reinvestigate
The cold case of Deanna Merryfield is more than a tragic mystery. It’s an indictment of how children—especially those labeled “troubled” or “runaways”—are too often ignored when they vanish.
This article is not just a retelling. It is a call to action.
To the Killeen Police Department: reopen this case with the seriousness it deserves.
To the public: someone out there remembers that night, that car, those men.
To the media: it’s not too late to tell her story.
Deanna Merryfield mattered then. She matters now.
Killeen Police Update Public on Deanna’s Case
🎥 What’s in the Video
The video documents a May 8, 2025, town hall organized by the Killeen Police Department, where community members joined Deanna’s family to demand renewed attention on her missing person investigation.
Among the speakers was Missie Merryfield, representing the family in a public appeal to local authorities.
Remarks included a heartfelt recounting of Deanna’s disappearance, critique of the original classification of her case as a “runaway,” and a call for active reinvestigation.
🙏 A Special Thanks to Missie
TheColdCases.com would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Missie Merryfield for her time, vulnerability, and unwavering dedication to her sister’s memory. Sharing a story so personal—and so painful—is never easy, especially when the justice system has offered so little in return.
Missie’s strength is a testament to the love that endures long after the headlines fade. Her willingness to revisit painful memories and continue speaking out ensures that Deanna is not forgotten, and that the silence surrounding her disappearance is finally being broken.
It is through the voices of family members like Missie that cold cases are revived, truths are uncovered, and long-overdue justice is made possible.
From all of us at TheColdCases.com — thank you, Missie, for your trust, courage, and advocacy
If you have any information about the disappearance of Deanna Merryfield, please contact the Killeen Police Department or reach out through our anonymous tip form at TheColdCases.com.
🕊️ She wasn’t a runaway. She was a little girl lost in a system that didn’t protect her. Help us bring her home. 🕊️
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