Overview

Date: August 19, 1992
Approximate time: 10:15–10:30 p.m.
Location: Vicinity of the 300 block of West Wilson Avenue, then the Town of Menasha, Wisconsin, an area now within Fox Crossing
Age: 20
Status: Missing; foul play suspected

Laurie had left work at the Fox River Mall in Grand Chute and traveled to her boyfriend’s apartment complex. Her Volkswagen was heard arriving, but Laurie never entered the apartment. Her locked vehicle was subsequently found in the parking lot with a Styrofoam drink cup on it.

Detailed Case Breakdown

The Disappearance of Laurie Jean Depies: Wisconsin’s Unsolved 1992 Missing Person Case

More than three decades after 20-year-old Laurie Jean Depies vanished in Wisconsin, investigators and her family are still waiting for the answer to one fundamental question: What happened to Laurie after she arrived at her boyfriend’s apartment complex on the night of August 19, 1992?

Laurie disappeared during an extraordinarily narrow window of time. Her car apparently made it to its destination. People inside the apartment heard it arrive. Yet Laurie never walked through the door.

Her disappearance remains unsolved, and authorities suspect foul play.

Last Seen: Date and Location

Date: August 19, 1992
Approximate time: 10:15–10:30 p.m.
Location: Vicinity of the 300 block of West Wilson Avenue, then the Town of Menasha, Wisconsin, an area now within Fox Crossing
Age: 20
Status: Missing; foul play suspected

Laurie had left work at the Fox River Mall in Grand Chute and traveled to her boyfriend’s apartment complex. Her Volkswagen was heard arriving, but Laurie never entered the apartment. Her locked vehicle was subsequently found in the parking lot with a Styrofoam drink cup on it.

Who Was Laurie Jean Depies?

Laurie Jean Depies was born September 17, 1971. At the time she disappeared, she was 20 years old, approximately 5 feet 4 to 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed about 115 pounds. She had brown hair and green eyes. One particularly identifiable feature was a tattoo on her right ankle described as an Indian art form resembling a squid.

Laurie worked at the Fox River Mall in Grand Chute. On Wednesday, August 19, 1992, she worked her shift before preparing to meet her boyfriend and friends later that evening. A coworker accompanied her to her vehicle when she left the mall.

Nothing publicly known about that departure suggested that within minutes Laurie would become the subject of one of Wisconsin’s longest-running missing-person investigations.

The Night Laurie Depies Disappeared

After leaving the Fox River Mall, Laurie drove toward her boyfriend’s apartment complex on West Wilson Avenue in the Town of Menasha.

The people waiting for Laurie knew her vehicle had apparently arrived. Laurie’s Volkswagen had a recognizable sound, and witnesses reported hearing the vehicle enter the parking lot. Accounts place the arrival at approximately 10:15 to 10:30 p.m.

But Laurie did not come inside.

After realizing something was wrong, the people waiting for her went outside to look for her.

They found Laurie’s vehicle.

They did not find Laurie.

The Abandoned Volkswagen and the Mysterious Drink Cup

Laurie’s gray 1984 Volkswagen Rabbit was found locked in the apartment complex parking lot. A Styrofoam cup containing a soft drink was left on the vehicle. Her purse and overnight bag were reportedly still inside the car.

There were no obvious signs at the scene explaining what happened to her. No one was known to have seen Laurie walk away from the parking lot or voluntarily enter another vehicle.

The circumstances created an unsettling possibility: Laurie may have disappeared in the short period between getting out of her vehicle and walking to the apartment.

The FBI now states directly that foul play is suspected in her disappearance.

The Search for Laurie

The disappearance triggered an extensive investigation and search. Investigators interviewed people connected to Laurie and explored multiple possible explanations for what happened.

But years passed without Laurie being located.

Investigators also examined whether offenders responsible for other violent crimes might have been connected to her disappearance. Among the men investigated over the years were Wisconsin killer David Spanbauer and convicted kidnapper Larry DeWayne Hall. Neither has been charged with Laurie’s disappearance.

Hall ultimately became the most publicly discussed person connected to the investigation.

Larry DeWayne Hall and the Confession

Larry DeWayne Hall was already serving a life sentence for the kidnapping of 15-year-old Jessica Roach when investigators interviewed him about Laurie.

Hall had actually attracted investigators’ attention years earlier. By 1995, he was considered a person of interest in Laurie’s disappearance. Investigators reportedly discovered information in a notebook associated with Hall that referenced Laurie’s first name and the mall where she worked.

Then came a major development.

During an interview with investigators in November 2010, Hall admitted involvement in Laurie’s disappearance and said he had abducted and killed her. Police publicly disclosed the development in May 2011.

Hall reportedly claimed that he had seen Laurie at the Fox River Mall, followed her to the apartment complex and abducted her there. Investigators said at the time that Hall knew details they believed had not been publicly released.

It appeared investigators might finally have an answer.

But there was a major problem.

Investigators Could Not Find Laurie

Hall provided information about where Laurie’s remains might be located, and investigators searched the area he identified.

They did not find Laurie.

Nor did they recover physical evidence there that could independently establish that Hall killed her.

Hall has been associated with multiple confessions and suspected crimes, and the evidentiary problems surrounding his statements have prevented investigators from treating his account as a proven resolution of Laurie’s case.

No murder charge has been filed against Hall in connection with Laurie.

As a result, his confession remains an important investigative lead rather than definitive proof of what happened.

Other Persons Investigated

David Spanbauer was also examined as a possible suspect. Spanbauer was responsible for violent crimes against women and girls in Wisconsin, but investigators never established that he was responsible for Laurie’s disappearance. Recent Wisconsin reporting continues to identify both Spanbauer and Hall as people investigators examined.

A renewed examination of the case also brought public attention to another man identified only as “Tim” in the Cold Case: Frozen Tundra podcast.

According to reporting about the podcast’s investigation, “Tim” allegedly asked Laurie out on the day she disappeared and she declined because she had a boyfriend. Podcast co-host Dr. Jordan Karsten discussed additional circumstances the team considered potentially significant, while specifically emphasizing that it was not known whether the man was involved in Laurie’s disappearance.

The podcast’s second season examined Hall, Spanbauer and “Tim” as three separate persons of interest or investigative theories. These discussions should not be confused with criminal charges or findings of guilt.

A Renewed Investigation of the Cold Case

Laurie’s disappearance received renewed attention three decades later through Cold Case: Frozen Tundra, hosted by University of Wisconsin Oshkosh professor and forensic anthropologist Dr. Jordan Karsten and Matt Hiskes.

The podcast devoted its second season to Laurie’s disappearance and revisited the original investigation, potential suspects and information developed over the years.

The renewed attention was significant because cold cases can depend on someone finally providing a seemingly minor detail that investigators did not have when the crime occurred.

The investigation has also evolved institutionally. The original case was handled by the Town of Menasha Police Department. Wisconsin Department of Justice investigators later became responsible for the case, and Laurie remains listed through Wisconsin’s Clearinghouse for Missing & Exploited Children & Adults.

Latest Investigation Information

As of the latest publicly available information located for this article, Laurie Jean Depies has not been found, no one has been charged in connection with her disappearance, and the case remains unresolved.

On August 19, 2025—the 33rd anniversary of Laurie’s disappearance—WBAY again reported that she remained missing. The station reported that investigators had examined David Spanbauer and Larry DeWayne Hall and reiterated that foul play is suspected. Authorities continued asking anyone with information to contact investigators or submit information to the FBI.

Laurie also remains on the Wisconsin Department of Justice missing-person clearinghouse. The state lists her as a Missing Endangered Adult and provides the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation as the contact agency.

The FBI continues to maintain a ViCAP missing-person listing for Laurie. An FBI ViCAP alert identifies her as NamUs MP9076, identifies DNA as being at the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification, and lists an agency case number of 92002912.

The continued presence of Laurie in the FBI, Wisconsin DOJ and NamUs systems means the case has not been officially resolved by Hall’s confession or by any other theory.

Why Laurie Depies’s Case Remains Unsolved

The central mystery has changed remarkably little since 1992.

Laurie apparently completed the drive from work to the apartment complex. People waiting for her heard her vehicle arrive. Her locked Volkswagen was found only a short distance from the apartment, with personal belongings still inside and the drink cup left on the vehicle.

Yet there was no Laurie.

Hall’s later confession appeared capable of providing the missing explanation, but investigators were unable to recover Laurie’s remains or the physical evidence needed to corroborate his account sufficiently to resolve the case.

More than three decades later, investigators are therefore still left with competing possibilities and an exceptionally small window in which Laurie vanished.

Someone may still possess information that explains what happened during those few minutes on August 19, 1992.

Main Points of the Case

• Laurie Jean Depies was 20 years old when she disappeared on August 19, 1992.
• She left her job at the Fox River Mall in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, and drove to an apartment complex in the Town of Menasha.
• People waiting inside heard Laurie’s distinctive vehicle arrive, but Laurie never entered the apartment.
• Her locked gray Volkswagen Rabbit was found in the parking lot.
• A Styrofoam soft-drink cup was left on the vehicle.
• Her purse and overnight bag were reportedly still inside the Volkswagen.
• Authorities suspect foul play.
• Investigators examined multiple possible suspects, including David Spanbauer and Larry DeWayne Hall.
• Hall admitted abducting and killing Laurie, but investigators were unable to locate her remains or recover physical evidence substantiating the confession.
• Hall has not been charged in Laurie’s case.
• Laurie remains listed with the Wisconsin Department of Justice, FBI ViCAP and NamUs.
• Her NamUs number is MP9076, and an FBI ViCAP alert lists Agency Case #92002912.
• The case remains unresolved.

Laurie Jean Depies Today

Laurie would be 55 years old in September 2026.

For her family, the passage of time has never supplied the one thing they have sought from the beginning: an answer.

Without Laurie’s remains and without evidence establishing exactly what happened in the apartment parking lot that night, August 19, 1992 remains the dividing line in her story—before that night, Laurie had a job, friends, family and plans; afterward, there was a locked Volkswagen, a drink cup and an enduring mystery.

Anyone with information, including information that may have seemed insignificant years ago, is encouraged to contact law enforcement.