Missing at 13: A lifetime without answers
Deanna Merryfield was just 13 when she was reported missing from her grandmother’s home in Killeen, Texas. But when she vanished – 35 years ago this week – her case was not handled with any sense of urgency.
She was considered a runaway.
“Police didn’t really investigate runaways back then,” said Melissa Twardowski, who was 11 when her sister vanished on July 22, 1990. “But it doesn’t matter how they left. If a child is missing, they need to be found.”

Deanna as a teenager. (Credit: family photos)
Deanna’s case was quietly closed three years later, when police said they received a call that she was no longer missing. When told otherwise, the case was reopened, then closed again two years later for “lack of new information.”
In 2007, Melissa convinced police to reopen the case once again and contacted us at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. We helped Killeen police generate investigative strategies, conduct DNA and other testing and produce age progressions of what she might look like as time marched on.
Melissa, who’s not convinced Deanna ran away, is doing whatever she can to draw attention to her sister’s case – through social media, podcasts, interviews. She’s working with a private investigator, and a candle-light vigil is planned. Police are doing an amazing job now, she said.

The poster for Deanna's candlelight vigil.
Deanna, who has a fraternal twin, is one of four sisters. Their mother, who remarried, was hospitalized in 1989 for cirrhosis of the liver. While she was away, three of the sisters disclosed to their grandmother that their stepfather was sexually abusing them.
During the investigation, the sisters were split up to live with various relatives. Only Deanna’s report of sex abuse led to criminal charges. In October 1989, her stepfather was convicted of indecency with a child, sentenced to 10 years’ probation and required to register as a sex offender.
Then on July 22, 1990, Deanna snuck out of her grandmother’s house to go see her fraternal twin sister, who was living with their uncle. She was driven there by two men in a dark sedan.
At about 3:30 a.m., their brief conversation woke up their uncle and he told Deanna to go home. She left with the two men – and was never seen again.
Growing up, Melissa recalls Deanna being fiercely protective of her. Her sister was smart, in the gifted program at school and well-liked by her teachers. She and her sisters loved playing with their Barbies, riding their bikes and exploring a nearby creek.

Deanna, left, and Melissa loved playing with their Barbies. (Credit: family photos)
But around age 11, teachers started writing “needs improvement” on her report cards, Melissa said. She began acting out, smoking and hanging with a different crowd.
Melissa does not believe Deanna is still alive. But she wants to find out what happened to the sister who watched out for her.
“Deanna’s been failed so many times,” Melissa said. “She deserved so much more. But I feel like I’m running out of time to find answers.”
If you have any information about Deanna Merryfield, please contact NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
You can view Deanna's missing poster here: https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/763294/1.