Case Details

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This person was missing Missing Since 11/15/1998

Missing Since:

Missing Since 11/15/1998

Missing From:

Missing From Naples, Florida

Classification:

Classification Endangered Missing

Gender:

Female

Race:

Race White

Date of Birth:

Date of Birth 08/12/1984 (40)

Age:

Age 14 years old

Height and Weight:

Height and Weight 5’6, 130 pounds

Clothing/Jewelry Description:

Clothing/Jewelry Description A red, white and blue tank top and jeans.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Light brown hair, hazel eyes. Wendy has a small strawberry birthmark on the back of her neck and a scar on her left hand. She wore braces on her top and bottom teeth at the time of her 1998 disappearance. Her ears are pierced; the left one is pierced twice. Some agencies may spell her middle name “Kathlene.”

Details of Disappearance:

Wendy, a 14-year-old honor student from Naples, Florida, vanished on November 15, 1998. Her parents were away, and she was being watched by her stepfather’s coworker. Wendy went to a party after sneaking out late at night, leaving a candle burning in her window. She took her stepfather’s pager, promising to return or call if paged. She never did.

She went to the party with a 20-year-old man, Ronald DePeppo, who had previously been told by Wendy’s stepfather to stay away from her because she was underage. DePeppo’s story is inconsistent: he claimed Wendy left him at her house after receiving a page, but a friend, Johnny Walker, contradicted his alibi. DePeppo’s car later burned down in a fire deemed accidental, but the investigation yielded no evidence. He initially cooperated with police but then refused to answer questions or take a lie detector test.

Walker, now a registered sex offender, is also suspicious, changing his story about knowing Wendy over time. Wendy’s family passed lie detector tests. While DePeppo wasn’t officially named a suspect, he and Walker remain persons of interest.

Wendy was a bright, active teen; it’s unlikely she simply ran away. Her family held a memorial service for her and continues to hope for answers. The case remains unsolved.

Agency:

Collier County Sheriff’s Office 239-774-4434

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