Missing from: Carrboro, North Carolina
Missing since: December 01, 1997
Age at Disappearance: 35
Height: 5′ 6″
Weight: 115
Hair color: Brown
Eye color: Brown
Distinguishing Characteristics: Scars, Marks, Tattoos: Caucasian female. Wavy hair. Pierced ears. AKA: “Debbie” Dentals: Available, DNA: Available in CODIS
Details of Disappearance: Deborah was last seen on December 1, 1997, as she was leaving a local bar. A regular at the now-defunct watering hole Sticks and Stones, Key had been at the bar for a while when 21-year-old Andrew Douglas Dalzell walked in, shortly before closing. The amateur artist came by on occasion. Key was last seen with Dalzell in the bar parking lot, according to police. No one has seen her since. Two days after her disappearance, Key’s car was found, still parked in the same lot. Her door was unlocked. Her purse and jacket lay on the front seat.
In 2004, Dalzell confessed to Debbie’s strangulation, but his statements were later thrown out in court due to the circumstances under which they were obtained. Dalzell stated that he dumped her body in Wilmington. Deborah was declared legally dead in February 2005.
Website dedicated to Deborah Key’s disappearance: http://www.debbiekey.org/
Investigative Agency: Carrboro Police Department, (919) 918-7397
If you have any information on this case, please contact CUE Center for Missing Persons at (910) 343-1131 or call the CUE Center 24-hour tip line at (910) 232-1687. All information submitted to CUE Center for Missing Persons is confidential.