SPEAKER_01 0:00

In Tragedy, a true crime podcast, we discuss missing persons' cases, violent crime, and other sensitive topics that may be difficult for some listeners. Listener discretion is advised. Our show is a place where every story matters and every voice deserves to be heard. To support this podcast, you can subscribe at www.tragedy a true crime podcast.com for early access to new episodes. And join our Facebook community, Tragedy, a True Crime Podcast, for updates, discussions, and ways to support the families we feature. Welcome to Tragedy, a True Crime Podcast. I'm Elisa.

SPEAKER_00 0:44

And I'm Michael.

SPEAKER_01 0:46

A teenager's life is supposed to be full of beginnings, plans taking shape, friendships changing, dreams still being imagined. But for Deanna Merrifield and the people who loved her, time seemed to stop in 1990 when she disappeared from Colleen, Texas. Today we're joined by Barbara Suoka, Deanna's cousin, who is helping us paint a fuller picture of the young person at the center of this story. Before Deanna became a missing person, she was a teenager navigating life, family, and growing up. Someone who laughed, had opinions, relationships, routines, and moments that still live vividly in the memories of those closest to her. In this conversation, Barbara helps us step back into Deanna's world, sharing memories of who she was as a teenager, what life looked like before she disappeared, and how her absence reshaped the lives of those who loved her. Because when a young person disappears, families are left wondering not only what happened, but also who they might have become. Barbara, thank you for joining us and welcome to the show. Thank you for having me, and I'm glad to be here. We appreciate you taking time to share your memories of Deanna, and that's where we really want to start. And so so much of the focus is often on her disappearance itself. But we'd love to start with your connection to Deanna, what she was like as your cousin, and what did your relationship mean to you?

SPEAKER_02 2:19

Deanna was a good kid. She um she was one, you know, she lived with us for a while. She was real quiet. She always smiled. She was full of wanting to do things with her friends and, you know, going around with family and just just doing things, you know. She didn't want to sit around the house and doing nothing.

SPEAKER_01 2:39

And so I know I believe that you all lived fairly close to each other. Did you spend a lot of time together?

SPEAKER_02 2:45

Uh, not as much as we should have. They did live with us for a while. Uh the girls live with us, and um I would it would have been nice to spend more time with them, but you know, our moms were busy and you know, we had school and all that other stuff to go through.

SPEAKER_01 3:02

And so when you say um we, you mean uh there are four sisters, right? And then all four of them, so you were all together for a short period of time. Yes, ma'am. Mm-hmm. And we understand that that was because there were some challenges going on kind of with um her parents. Yes. And then eventually, um I believe they were all sort of all the sisters were sent in different places. Is is that accurate?

SPEAKER_02 3:28

Yes.

unknown 3:28

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 3:29

Yes.

unknown 3:29

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 3:30

They were sent to different places, yes, ma'am. Thank you for that reminder. So looking back, um, how would you describe the period that led up to Deanna's disappearance? What are your recollections?

SPEAKER_02 3:40

Well, I know she they the girls were separated and the twins, you know, Becky and Deanna both, they were so close. You know, they tried everything and their reasons to be able to uh visit each other and everything. So with her staying with grandma and uh Becky staying with my uncle, they just found ways to be able to see each other.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

And that's kind of what happened or our understanding of what happened the night that she disappeared. Deanna had gone over to to see Becky, to speak with Becky, to hang out with Becky.

SPEAKER_02 4:19

Right. And it was in the middle of the night. So everybody was sleeping, and nobody knew that Deanna had left my grandma's house.

SPEAKER_01 4:27

If you think back to that time, do you I I mean, I'm was about to ask you, do you r recall anything unusual going on in the family? But we obviously we know that there were some um some difficulties in the family. Do you remember that? Oh, go ahead. Just the difficulties.

SPEAKER_02 4:44

And I do. I remember I remember a lot of it. I mean, it vaguely, but it's been so long. I know when they lived with us, you know, we had to we had to take them to the child advocacy center so they could be interviewed and everything, you know, all the stuff like that. And then, but I do remember, you know, the girls were always smiling, always happy. Even through the rough times, they were very happy and smiling all the time.

SPEAKER_01 5:13

Do you remember her saying anything about to to you what she had hopes for for the future, things that she was thinking about? Like I think when I was about this age, I I told everybody I was gonna be an airline stewardess. I don't know why, because hospitality is not really my my strength area. But do you like do you guys recall having conversations about your hopes and dreams for the future? I do not.

SPEAKER_02 5:37

When they live with us, I I was already finished high school and I was working a lot, so so it was you know kind of hard, but yes.

SPEAKER_01 5:48

Let's talk about some of the happy memories. Tell us about a time that uh you had an experience with Deanna that just really sticks with you or something that really made you laugh.

SPEAKER_02 5:57

We were we were at the house and I don't even remember what we were doing, but she she made this big joke and just the whole house. We'd we were all in the living room or the kitchen and we were all just laughing because something was just a big joke out of what what we were doing. I want to say we were getting ready for dinner or something. So but we always had jokes, we always laughed, carried on.

SPEAKER_01 6:24

We do have an understanding from speaking to several people in your family that Deanna just was very fun, fun to hang around, um, kind of brought a light into the room, always busy, like you said.

SPEAKER_02 6:37

Always, yes. She loved being around people, she loved being with her friends, um, family. We know the the family life was kind of hard. So I think her friends brought a lot more happiness to her. So, but even being at home, she was she was always laughing, carrying on, having jokes, you know. She just she was just a smiley person, an upbeat person.

SPEAKER_01 7:02

And I've seen some of the pictures that Missy has shared on Instagram. Um, and she does she always looks really happy. And I love the blonde curly hair. I mean, it just really makes me think of like the 80s, right? When we all had curly hair and all the hairspray and all of that. So let's girl, me too. Right? I had the Aquanet. Mine was the blue can. I had I had Aquanet too, yes. I remember the blue and the purple, and maybe the mine went purple. Yeah, see, there we go. That's hilarious. Let's kind of go back to when this all started for you. So, what are you what is your recollection about when your family first realized that something wasn't right?

SPEAKER_02 7:43

I remember that day my mom she had called me to the house, so I had gone home, and um that's when she had told me that Missy was uh that Deanna was missing. And um I was like, what do you mean, missing? And that's when she told me the story about her visiting our uncle and you know going to see Becky and that she never came home. Then my grandma woke up and she was gone. They put her in as a runaway. Um, because back then we didn't have a whole lot of resources through KPD and all that. So it was a runaway, and they tried to look for her, but none of her friends had seen her or anything. So they were they just didn't do much. I wish, you know, we would have been able to fight harder to get it into a missing person's instead of a runaway. Because I think we could have found her, maybe found her, you know.

SPEAKER_01 8:40

I do listen to a lot of podcasts um about missing people, and it does seem to be that there is a default, particularly when we're talking about teenagers. Sometimes there's historically been a default to, well, they ran away. I I would like to believe that the tide is shifting a little bit now because I think you know we have a lot better footprint on where people are, and uh, I think people have a better understanding of some of the unfortunate things that happen when people go missing. So maybe a default isn't always necessarily there to going to just a missing person, especially for, you know, a young girl. You talked a little bit, you briefly mentioned um coming together and searching. Can you talk more about that, what that looked like in your recollections of that time?

SPEAKER_02 9:28

From what I can remember, I mean, we just we mostly went to her friends, called her friends, went to their houses, and you know, try to see if they've seen her, and just, you know, just looking around parks and the mall and and things like that to see where if you know maybe she was there. But mostly it was just going to her friends and and everything, trying to see if they've seen her.

SPEAKER_01 9:51

And it's been uh several years. Um, she went missing in 1990, and I know that there has been some renewed um investigation, maybe is the word I'm looking for. Can you talk to us a little bit about like how that happened? What what has happened? Maybe Missy has done some things, and what has been your um experience with this renewed attention?

SPEAKER_02 10:13

Missy has done amazing putting Deanna's word out there uh because it's been so quiet for so many years. Um, it did open up a while back, and they had talked. That was, you know, my brother was alive, my grandma was alive, and they I know they wouldn't talk to her and they wouldn't talk to my brother. Missy has brought it out so much. She's done amazing bringing it out. I wish that, you know, we could be able to bring it, you know, keep going with it, you know, and maybe do some more searches. And I got to go to one search and I thought that was awesome. But doing the searches and and everything and talking to the people that we know now who was maybe involved, if they would actually just open up and talk to us so we could just find her, you know.

SPEAKER_00 11:05

One thing I want to go back to is you said the searches were awesome. Like what what was what made that so? Like what was involved?

SPEAKER_02 11:11

Um, they had the dogs, you know, that we couldn't go all the way out there, but we could hear like the dogs barking and and the things like that. Uh it was just something new for me because I've never been around things like that.

SPEAKER_00 11:25

You said all the way out there. Um, what does that mean?

SPEAKER_02 11:28

They were out in like the field over there, um, close to Nolanville. They were out in the fields searching the fields for any remains or anything.

SPEAKER_00 11:39

Do you know what led them to that area?

SPEAKER_02 11:41

Uh there's a few areas that they they checked because there was somebody who said that she was seen closer to the woods. And back then, the woods were ever you know, there was a lot of woods back then. So I think they were just searching the certain parts that they thought they might have saw her. You know, uh somebody had said something about the places that they searched. So they wanted to search and see maybe if she was there.

SPEAKER_01 12:08

Yeah, we had a very interesting conversation with Steve, who I know has really been supporting um the investigative side of Deanna's story. And it it does seem like there have been some really positive movements. And I think I think you are right when you bring up Missy and the importance that she um has brought to Deanna's story. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 12:35

I've always always been close to Missy, but you know, because when they live with us, Missy and I shared a room. But her bringing the story out has has done a whole lot. I think they're they're getting somewhere, but not not close enough. And have you lived in Calleen your whole life? Yes, ma'am. So can you I was gonna say unfortunately, but yes.

SPEAKER_01 12:59

I you know, I am uh essentially a native of Colorado, was born overseas, but we came back when I was three months old. And up until three years ago, I lived in Colorado my entire life.

SPEAKER_02 13:12

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 13:12

And it was not until um my daughter actually relocated to Texas for school that I spent any considerable amount of time in Texas. Um I've I've learned at least the part of Texas that she lives in, uh, it's always hot and it's always windy. And hot wind is my least favorite weather phenomenon.

unknown 13:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:34

Let's let's don't forget it smells like cow butt there.

SPEAKER_01 13:36

It does smell like that's true.

SPEAKER_02 13:39

That's that's those those hot winds. I mean, you can get a sunburn from those hot winds. I mean, it's crazy. You'll be out in the wind and the sun's not out, but it's hot. And then you come in, you've you got sunburn on your face and your arms, and I'm just like, really? My wind burn is a real thing.

SPEAKER_00 13:56

Yeah, one thing we were just in that area, you know, visiting Emma, and it was super dry, super hot, super windy. But then what made it worse is these lightning storms started, and we actually we we found ourselves in a situation because we traveled the country in an airstream, and there were fires in three different directions, and like we were in the only um area that there wasn't a fire, and so we were literally going, should we hook up the camper and get ready to get the hell out of here? And so um we understand. I mean, it's just um Texas is an amazing place, but it can be a very dangerous place.

SPEAKER_02 14:32

It can. It really, really can. I've been well, I've lived in Texas since I was six months old. So I was born in Oklahoma and we've been here since I was six months old, so I don't know anything different, except I moved to Florida for a year. And um, when Hurricane Andrew hit, I came back home. There you go.

SPEAKER_00 14:53

Where in Florida did you live?

SPEAKER_02 14:55

Uh I lived in Brazzard County, Fort Lauderdale.

SPEAKER_00 14:59

Okay, yep, I know where that's at. I'm from Florida, so but I'm I grew up in Tallahassee.

SPEAKER_02 15:03

When I had a tree, I lived in an apartment. We had a tree that was on one side of the balcony. When I woke up from her, you know, from the Hurricane Andrew, it was on the other side of the balcony. I said, Yeah, it's time for me to go home.

SPEAKER_01 15:16

I came home and been here ever since. We we spent a day dodging uh tornadoes as we crossed Oklahoma as well. I'm like, okay, let's go. Are we out of here? That's where I was born, Oklahoma. Wow, it was wild. Uh so one of the things that we find uh sometimes can be helpful as we help our listeners kind of understand um the story of someone who is missing or paint a picture of what life was like for them is is asking those of you close to this story to just kind of talk about what was Colleen, Texas like in the 90s? What was going on in the, you know, in the city, uh in the neighborhoods around the time that Deanna went missing?

SPEAKER_02 16:00

It wasn't it Colleen wasn't as bad back then as it is now. I think towards, you know, through the 90s, it was starting to get a little rough neighborhoods, you know, kids just being kids out doing stuff that they shouldn't be doing and just learning through all that, you know, well, I can get away with this, so let me go and start breaking into cars, you know, and and things like that. It's not as bad as it was uh as it is now. I mean, I could I used to be able to walk from one side of the town to the other side of the town and have no issues. So, because at that point I didn't have a car, so I had to walk everywhere. And I didn't have any issues, you know, but nighttime is when they all started coming out and uh going through starting their gangs and and things like that. It was just starting to come out, you know.

SPEAKER_01 16:52

And where I'm trying to think about what life was like for me when I was 13 and kind of what was going on in my neighborhood. And I don't know that I would have walked around at night when I was thir I don't know that any young 13-year-old girl should be walking around at night. Like we would go out during the day and that kind of stuff by but by nighttime, like we're coming in.

SPEAKER_02 17:15

So Oh yeah, see, with my mom, my mom was real strict on on uh I was the baby, I was the only girl, and I was the baby. So I had a stricter lifestyle because I was the only girl. So when the when the street lights hit, I had to be inside. There was no question about it. I could ride my bike out through the day, I could do anything, but as soon as it started streetlights came on, if I wasn't inside, I was in trouble.

SPEAKER_00 17:41

Yeah, that was that was similar rules that I had growing up as well. I mean, it was it was always um, you know, my grandfather always said this there's there's nothing that you can be involved with at night as a teenager that's not just gonna get you in trouble. And so therefore I want you home.

SPEAKER_02 17:57

Yep. That's the way that's the way I grew up.

SPEAKER_01 18:01

I had to be in by the street light. So what is something people often misunderstand or simply don't know about Deanna?

SPEAKER_02 18:08

That's a hard one. She like I said, I mean, she was so outgoing. I mean her friends, they were always so close, outgoing. That one is kind of hard for me. So I really wasn't I didn't hang out with her friends and you know, but Deanna was an outgoing person.

SPEAKER_01 18:27

She was really she's a she was a really good kid. Yeah, it does seem like based on what we have heard from the family that she did a lot of walking around because she really just wanted to stay connected with her sisters, right? And like as you mentioned, when you're that age, you you shouldn't have a car, you shouldn't be driving. So she's either relying on sitting in cars with guys, you know. Exactly. Yep.

SPEAKER_02 18:51

She's either relying that was the biggest mistake.

SPEAKER_01 18:54

Yep. She's relying on walking around when it's probably not safe, or people who will transport her from here to there. Right. Yep. Right. Mm-hmm. And put herself in kind of an unfortunate situation. So we know a little bit about um some of the challenges that um the family was experiencing. Can you just tell us a little bit more about why the sisters were separated?

SPEAKER_02 19:19

I I know that it had something to do with the stepfather. Kind of hard to go into them details, you know. But it was more of when the when all this came out, you know, the stepfather stayed home, so the kids had to be separated from their mom because he's he was at the house, so they couldn't be around him. So they got they had to come and live with they live with us for a while, then they took them from us and then separated them into different homes.

SPEAKER_01 19:50

I remember this being a safety issue for the girls. Yes. Yeah, from the conversation.

SPEAKER_02 19:56

Definitely for their safety.

SPEAKER_00 19:58

When you say they separate them, who was that?

SPEAKER_02 20:00

Uh I want to say it was a lot of uh CPS and their child advocacy center. But yes, they had separated, they had to separate them. They sent them to us, you know, they like I said, they live with us for a few months and then they went ahead and separated them into other homes because apparently somebody had said that my mom was pushing them to say what they said. So to make sure it was the truth, they took them away from us as well to make sure that their stories stayed straight and it wasn't my mom that was doing it.

SPEAKER_01 20:39

So I'm a former educator and have had a little bit of experience with child protective services. And it sounds like what you're describing is part of the investigative process. Um, to make sure, like you are saying, that uh they have the information that they need and that it's valid information and then to make the best decision for the minor children who are involved moving forward. Yes. Yes. So is there anything that you have thought of during this conversation that you would like to share related to Deanna that we have not already given you a chance to share?

SPEAKER_02 21:13

No, everything is pretty straightforward. I mean, like I said, it was so long ago, it's it's hard to remember a lot of it. All we want to do is just find her, bring her home. That's all. You know, know what happened and be able to at least have some closure for you know, for bringing her home and things like that.

SPEAKER_01 21:39

You've been listening to Tragedy, a true crime podcast. Our purpose is to honor victims by sharing their stories through the voices of friends, family, and those whose lives were forever changed. If today's episode resonated with you, we encourage you to subscribe, leave a review, and share the podcast so these important stories continue to be heard. Together, we can preserve their memories and ensure their voices are never forgotten. If you have ideas for cases we should cover or questions about what you heard, you can connect with us through our Facebook group, Tragedy a True Crime Podcast, on X at Tragedy Podcast, by email at Tragedy a True Crime Podcast at gmail.com, or by visiting our website www.tragedy a true crime podcast.com. Thank you for listening, and we hope you'll join us next time.